While I hold to the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child”, I find myself feeling highly uncomfortable when I see a parent behaving irrationally or otherwise unkindly towards a child. What do I say? Who am I to intervene?

Earlier today George found someone else’s toy in the backyard — a tennis ball on a piece of rope — and he wouldn’t part with it so I let him bring it inside. Fast forward a couple hours and I come home from getting some rather pricey groceries and I ask The Partner what happened [...]