I don't think we disagree at all about how to explain falling objects to a 3 year old. I did say it's best to leave out irrelevant detail.
You might not like this, but full detail physics explanations are usually irrelevant to everyday life. I try to explain in terms of what's necessary to accomplish a goal, not what's necessary to fully understand.
e.g. "if you tip things over close to the edge it will end up on the floor, so don't do that"
As a side note, kids often put stuff in precarious places because they can't reach anywhere better.
Anyway, the exceptions would be when the goal involves fully and arbitrarily defined contexts such as code or law. You can't assume much to get on with a task before being given a full explanation.
You might not like this, but full detail physics explanations are usually irrelevant to everyday life. I try to explain in terms of what's necessary to accomplish a goal, not what's necessary to fully understand.
e.g. "if you tip things over close to the edge it will end up on the floor, so don't do that"
As a side note, kids often put stuff in precarious places because they can't reach anywhere better.
Anyway, the exceptions would be when the goal involves fully and arbitrarily defined contexts such as code or law. You can't assume much to get on with a task before being given a full explanation.