h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You're divorced, with joint custody of your ten year old...

You pick him up from choir practice on Friday evening as arranged with his mother. (You've spoken to her two or three times during the day by phone with nothing out of the ordinary being discussed)

As he approaches you notice two three inch long bruises on either side of his face...

On further questioning - his story is that annoyed with his little half-sister (who's only 4) and pushed her over. Little sis starts crying and Mum comes over and pinches his cheeks hard enough to leave ruddy great bruises.

I know generally she's a good mother, but she always did have a lousy temper, so part of me is saying she's probably regretting what she did... The other part of me is saying that if I'd done that to her when we were married I'd have (quite rightly) found myself in a police station on an assault charge.

I dropped her an e-mail last night just saying "do you want to talk about the bruises" - but so far haven't had any response.

Well, I'd imagine she does feel terrible, but if you can do it without putting her on the defensive, I'd gently register your awareness of the incident and your expectation that it won't happen again. I wouldn't take it any further than that unless she did. It might not. On the other hand, it might.

Has she got back to you yet Whisky? What did she say about it?