Leo and the Great Block Disaster

Leo sat on the living room rug, carefully placing a bright blue cube at the very top of his block tower. It was the tallest, grandest castle he had ever built, reaching all the way up to his chin.

​"Finished!" Leo cheered, clapping his hands.
​Just then, his little sister, Mia, came zooming through the room pretending to be an airplane. “Whoosh!” went her arms.

 “Crash!” went her foot right into the middle of the castle. In a split second, the beautiful tower tumbled down, scattering blocks everywhere.

​Leo froze. A giant wave of heat rushed up from his toes straight to his chest. His face turned red.

​Right inside his head, his two brains started talking.

The first brain—the Loud Brain—began to dance around excitedly. "I want to scream right NOW!" Loud Brain yelled. "Stomp your feet! Kick the blocks! Mia ruined everything!" Leo’s hands balled into tight little fists. He felt like a volcano ready to explode.

​But then, a quiet little voice knocked on the door of his head. It was his second brain—the Think-First Brain.

​"Wait... take a deep breath," Think-First Brain whispered gently. "Look at Mia’s face. It was just an accident."

​Leo looked up. Mia wasn't laughing. Her lower lip was trembling, and her big brown eyes were filling with tears. She looked just as scared as Leo was angry.


Loud Brain was still jumping up and down. "But it's not fair! We spent all morning building that!"

​Think-First Brain stepped in front of Loud Brain. "True, but screaming will only make Mia cry, and then we will both be in trouble. We can always build a new castle. A stronger one."

​Leo remembered what his teacher had said about superpowers. A real superpower isn't about flying through the clouds. It is the special power to pause, understand your big feelings, and make a smart choice even when you are very upset.

​Leo closed his eyes. He breathed in through his nose like he was smelling a warm cookie, and blew out through his mouth like he was blowing out a birthday candle.

In and out.

​Slowly, the volcano heat inside his chest began to cool down. His fists uncurled. Loud Brain stopped shouting and sat down to rest.

​Leo opened his eyes and looked at his sister. "It's okay, Mia," he said, his voice kind and steady. "I know you were just playing airplane."

​Mia wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry, Leo. I didn't mean to break your castle."

​"I know," Leo smiled. He picked up a large green base block and set it on the rug between them. "Do you want to help me build a mega-station instead? Airplanes can land on the roof!"

​Mia’s face lit up with a huge smile. "Yes, please!"

​As they happily stacked the blocks together, Leo felt a warm, bubbly feeling inside. He hadn't used laser eyes or magic spells, but he knew he had just used the greatest superpower in the world: the power to be kind.