Does it really take a village to raise a child or should we just keep our mouths shut and mind our own business?

In Judy Hill’s column today, she talks about a woman who witnessed a mother abusing her child in a store restroom. She gave the mother a “look,” but didn’t speak up. Now the woman wonders if she should have intervened.

My co-worker and pal Janine Dorsey over at What’s For Lunch? talks about a recent dining experience amidst some unruly kids. She also made the “look,” but never said a word.

Recently I saw a couple (parents?) pull into a parking space and the woman was holding a toddler in her lap. No child seat in the back. I wanted to say something and thought about that little girl for days afterward.

Granted these are all very different cases, but they all beg the question: When (or is) there an appropriate time to speak up?