My peace lily has been growing beautifully through the past almost year and a half. I repotted it several times into larger planters before recently dividing it and replanting pieces in four separate planters.

Thinking fresh air, sunshine and occasional rain would help them, I put several planters outside–three on the table and one on the deck.

The planter on the deck puzzled me, though. The lily piece frequently was uprooted and just sitting in the dirt. I’d replant it only to find it uprooted again shortly thereafter.

Chipmunks, squirrels and birds flit through the property regularly, so I blamed them and moved the planter to the floor of our screened-in porch.

A few days later we had a quiet start to Saturday. The boys played on the porch while I drank some coffee and read. I looked up on time to see Bryce walk over to the planter, uproot the lily piece and walk away.

Alas! The wild animals were not the culprits behind the constant uprooting. It was the wild 2-year-old all along.