Yesterday I was in a downtown Frankfurt shopping mall when I saw a small crying kid get slapped in the mouth by his mother in an effort to get him to stop crying. She hit him so hard and it was so sudden that Joan and I stared at each other as if we were in some kind of weird movie. Thankfully, this incident immediately got the attention of a nearby security guard too. Predictably, the kid started crying more and when it seemed as though the mother was ready to try again the security guard stepped up to her, they talked and she left the mall with her small child in a huff of indignation.
