Crazy German File #7

OK, this is probably the best one I've really come across.

I was sitting and working in Starbucks this morning. I know some of you are laughing, but they have comfy chairs and it's a nice place to get some work done. I'll worry about "The Man" when I get back to the US, besides is Kenny G such a bad man?. Anyway, it gets a little crowded at this one, because it is in the Fernsehturm and tourist central.

So this morning a woman comes in with her two or three year old kid and they are enjoying a cup of coffee and hot chocolate while they wait for a train. I know this because I eavesdropped on her cell phone conversation. They are having a great time, giggling, drinking, etc. It was quite cute to see.

Right before they leave the woman decides she needs to go to the bathroom before getting on the train. This is a wise move since the toilets on trains leave something to be desired, and you have to pay to use the bathroom in the train station. The woman stands up and tells her daughter she has to use the restroom and then says, "Pass auf, ja?" Meaning: watch our stuff while I'm gone.

A) Would you ever leave your three year old daughter unattended next to a stranger in a tourist area? I didn't think so.

B) Watch our stuff? She was in a high chair. What was she supposed to do? Pull out her Uzi when I tried to steal her mom's purse? The little girl didn't even have the language abilities to scream for help, let alone the strength to defend herself or her mother's purse.

To make matters worse, the little girl, part of her nature, decided to try to make friends with me while her mother was gone. Frankly, I was afraid she would go ballistic if she came back and found me speaking to her daughter, so I decided that might not be a good idea. I just smiled back.

They truly are crazy, these Germans. Yep, they leave their children unattended and ask them to watch their things. I was cracking up. I'm sure there will be more to come, so stay tuned for the next edition of the Crazy German File.