It takes a second for the pain to register. My foot continues on towards its intended destination until a half-step further, when a white-hot shock digs into my heel. I have stepped on a LEGO brick and the pain is so intense that I'm considering leaving my foot behind and just continuing on with the one good one I've got left.
This is not a new epidemic. As long as LEGO bricks have been in existence -- the blocky plastic brick was granted a patent in 1958 -- the soles of fathers' feet have been in danger. But up until now, the only solution afforded to dads was the simultaneous act of hopping up and down angrily while threatening to throw away the LEGO bricks unless they were put away properly. That strategy ends today, as does the potential injury to your tootsies. Here are the five ways you can prevent the trauma of stepping on LEGO bricks.
- Canary in a coal mine. Pigs help uncover truffles via their tremendous sense of smell. But since most of us don't have pot-bellied pigs that we can train to discover the scent of plastic, we'll opt for a less exotic family pet -- the dog. My dog has an uncanny ability to eat rare or valuable pieces that have fallen to the floor, so using her as a LEGO brick detector would only require some natural reinforcement of her canine instincts. Give your dog a bit of lead on a leash and walk behind him. If any LEGO bricks get eaten, this merely reinforces your point that they shouldn't be left on the floor.
