The child is suffering from a glitch in her soundtrack. She asks ad nauseam, “what’s that noise? What’s that noise?” about every unusual sound she hears, from the tick of a clock to the distant roar of an airplane. We oblige her curiosity and have learned that “I don’t know” is never an acceptable answer.

Tonight I decided to test her abstract thinking skills and posed a common conundrum of arm chair philosophers everywhere.

Me: If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around, does it make a sound?

The Child: can I see it?

Me: No. No one can see the tree fall. Does it make a noise when it falls?

Her: Yes.

Me: Why?

Her: Because it does!

Ah, the impeccable logic of a three year old!