A slap to the face of an innocent child

I saw a mother slap her young daughter in the face today while standing in the parking lot outside of a pet supply store. The daughter's crime: Playfully yelling out to her sister, standing about 30 feet away, to make sure their dog uses the grass to "go to the bathroom."

I won't describe my actions that followed. Suffice to say, I didn't walk away.

The girl, probably about 10, teared up and held her face in a state of disbelief. She had a look in her eyes that didn't quite grasp why the person she presumably loves the most would slap her like that for no apparent or justifiable reason. It was right out in the open, which makes me wonder what goes on behind closed doors. The parent screamed at the girl, "I am the mother, not you!"

When sacred trusts are betrayed by parents, children usually will forgive...for a while. When it becomes a pattern, forgiving isn't so easy. Violence against children, verbal or physical, often causes those children to grow up with trust and anger issues that may not be resolved in adulthood.

When any of us are hurt by the ones we care the most about, it always stings a lot more than if the assault came from a stranger. When the hurt is inflicted upon an innocent child for no other reason than the adult being frustrated with their own life, it becomes criminal in my mind.

You don't see people hit their kids in public very often these days. If they do, it's usually a mild whack to the butt for stepping out into the street. What I saw today wasn't that. It was the act of a woman who was obviously angry about other things and decided to take it out on the cheek of her daughter. I am seeing a lot of anger and frustration everywhere lately.

It will take several more hours or days to get that image out of my mind.

I have come to realize in recent weeks that there is a profound mood swing going on in society. I don't know if it's caused by the bad economy, our growing sense of entitlement or something more cosmic. But it appears to me people are losing it, for lack of a better description. Losing their patience on the road. Losing their ability to empathize. Losing a sense of common courtesy. You see it in all forms. Today, unfortunately, I saw it in the welt on a young girl's face.