I have no idea what the law says about child abuse. I imagine the border surrounding the territory known as Child Abuse is a big gray line. Spanking a kid isn’t against the law. Spanking a kid in the face with a brick is. We may disagree on how gray that border is, but we can all agree that this picture lives in the land-locked heartland of Child Abuse. There is no question.

She cries every time I drink coffee. I think she’s convinced that I’m going to eat her. I have no idea how you undo this sort of psychological damage.

Also, you might think this picture was taken professionally, since only a studio would have these kind of props available. You would be wrong. My wife definitely purchased a giant coffee mug (or possibly a shrink-ray) for this photo. Yet I’m sure I still would have lost the argument referenced in my previous post.