Their episodes only last for a few minutes - they happen in bursts:

• Conflict arises

• Parent yelling at child, child cries, parent keeps yelling.

• Eventually it stops when the kid is sufficiently demoralized

I feel like these people need to be subject to random welfare checks for their kid. Like this is getting absolutely fucking ridiculous. I'm not even speaking as just the neighbour - the kid needs it. I grew up in what I'd consider to be a pretty emotionally/verbally abusive household and mine isn't half as bad as what this kid is going through - and that's just from what I can interpret when they yell loud enough that I can hear them.

I feel like if the police showed up at their door the following would happen:

• Parent would threaten the kid to not say anything to the police

• Kid would remain silent under fear of punishment from parents

• Everything would 'look' reasonably normal and they'd explain that they were just having an argument like all families do, etc. Kid would nod his head in agreement.

Police wouldn't have enough to pursue this issue so they'd leave and that's that.

I'm assuming they've been through it before and found ways to bullshit the officers, which is why they still have custody of their kid.