DEAR ABBY: I was shopping recently and encountered a mother who had her two young children in her cart. One of them was making a loud noise. The mother slapped her hard across the face, yelling, “You’re not getting what you want, so BE QUIET!” I felt I should say something, but I didn’t want the situation to escalate. What would an appropriate response be that would show empathy but would also convey that physical abuse is unacceptable? -- MOTHER LOOKING ON IN ARIZONA

DEAR MOTHER: Empathy for whom -- the mother or the child? Mature parents do not slap their children across the face for acting up. They take the kid out of the store until they calm down. If this happens in public, one can only imagine what goes on in private. If I had seen it, I would have snapped a picture of the three o

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