Motherhood through an iPod

I just went for some errands and I saw a mother and child in the mall.  The child was probably 5 or 6 years old, seemingly well adjusted, and relatively happy.  Mom on the other hand spent her entire time with earbuds in her ears and your ipod playing.  What a strange scene.  They moved through the mall in tandem as any mother and daughter would, but at no point did they talk, interact or even have eye contact.  This is troubling to me.