Take a look at this article, coming to us from the lovely enclave of Lorain, Ohio, just west of Tom's hometown of Elyria, Ohio.

Here we have an 8-year-old boy who wrote a love note to a classmate. I don't know about you, but when I was 8 years old, love notes were commonplace. At that age, children are forming their first crushes, and the only way they know to deal with them is to express them. The expressions may be in the form of hugs, love notes, or shy smiles at lunch. Apparently, it is claimed that this little boy also grabbed the buttocks of the object of his affection. Of course, there is no one to corroborate this – it’s a matter of “she said so we have to believe it.” (I'm not saying the girl is lying, but I am saying that she is given the benefit of the doubt by default, whereas the boy is forced to prove his innocence.)

The poor little boy was forced to sign his name to some kind of “Request for Emergency Removal” from his classroom. He’s so young that he was only able to write his first name. And, worse, his parents were not present when he was forced to sign this document. The school was, in effect, declaring that the boy was engaging in sexual harassment of his classmate, and that he was a danger to the other child.

The school is claiming that the boy admitted wrongdoing, but his parents contend that he doesn’t understand what happened. I tend to believe the parents in this case.

Emma has a huge crush on a little boy in her preschool class. He has a crush on her, too. When he hugged Emma in class, I didn’t run screaming to the administration that Emma had been attacked. In fact, I found it hysterical. When Emma wrote this little boy a Valentine that said “I love you!” his mother didn’t take us to court. In fact, she, too, found it hysterical.

I am afraid for our children, since it appears that we are continuing to steal their childhoods. By making them into miniature adults, we put the weight of the world on shoulders that aren’t even big enough to carry the weight of a teddy bear. It’s time to take a step back and embrace “little kid-ness.” Let kids be kids. Teach them well, but don’t teach them before they have the capacity to understand.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am off to talk Baby Talk to my 2-year-old.