Kuala Lampur, Sept. 17 -- A football falls into a drain.

For a child, it may seem like a small problem. Just get the ball back and continue playing.

But in Taman Desa Kayangan, Sungai Karangan, Kulim, what began with a football ended with the deaths of four boys, aged between eight and 12, on September 14. The drain was reported to be about 10 feet deep and six feet wide.

I keep thinking about the football.

There is nothing unusual about a child wanting to get his ball back. Children play. Balls roll into places they should not. Children also make decisions without fully understanding what might happen next.

We know this. Yet we still tell them to be careful. We tell them not to go near drains, not to play near water, and not to do t...