The mother, who was reported to the authorities for throwing a slipper at her daughter, was acquitted of domestic violence, but there can be an appeal.

The ‘flying slipper’ has long been used as instant retribution against an unruly child in Spain. In fact just held, warningly, was sufficient to convince a child that the mother was taking no further resistance to her authority.

Yes, while the slipper ruled supreme in these sunny climes, it was the wooden spoon that ruled the roost in the UK, for example.

However, in these ‘enlightened’ times somebody thought to consider it child abuse/domestic violence; hence the mother finding herself up before the judge.

This case was not the first to find its way into court but in most cases a judge has preferred to hand down an acquittal as there is never the intention to inflict harm, but rather to reinforce a point of view; i.e., the prevailing one at home.

And so it came to pass in the provincial court of Granada where the judge confirmed that there was no crime involved when, deftly, from the other side of the room, the mother launched the comfy ICBM at her daughter who was refusing to do her homework.

The ‘air attack’ took place in 2018 in a house where the mother lived with her two little darlings, aged nine and seven, at the time. The mother was busy cooking the meal in the kitchen and really did not have time to stride across the room and instal discipline without burning the lentejas. No heed was taken of the verbal torrent coming out of the kitchen, announcing that it wasn’t only the lentils that were about to boil over.

There stood the God of Inestimable Wrath in the kitchen door, leaning on the door frame in order to detach the assigned ammunition – words of warning were now a thing of the past and the slipper, humming in glee, headed straight for the little madam.

Now, the accuracy of an average mother with the slipper is legendary, capable of taking out a fly at 100 yards and in this case the targeted area of the waif was the legs but the girl with the innate agility of her mother dodged it, only to hit her head on the table during the evasive manoeuvre.

The mother hobbled over, uttering insults that put her own moral reputation into doubt and the degree of usefulness of the father whittled down to insignificance. No doubt, the lentils were ruined but the mother was now more worried about her little girl than the unruly legumes. Apart from a bruise on her forehead, she was unharmed and required no medical treatment. Besides which, the mother was now lavishing kisses and apologies.

At school the bruise raised eyebrows and questions and before long Social Services were scribbling up a denuncia por malos tratos.

Fortunately, the judge had more common sense than Social Services, because they took into account how difficult it is to raise a child when a marriage goes to pot and the mother is left trying to achieve everything that was previously handled by two adults.

Finally an example of the accuracy of a mother with her slipper!

(News: Granada, Andalucia)