Should I have called police on hotheaded mom?

At first I thought the mom was at the end of her summer rope. You know, the one where the joys of vacation days filled with sun have turned into an agonizing wait for the first school bell.

She sounded a bit more shrill with each increasingly nasty comment to her two boys at the fast-food restaurant. Shrill turned to yelling.

And then she grabbed one of the little one's arms, squeezing hard as she yanked it onto the table, her fingers digging into the arm, pulling his head almost to the table as he winced in pain.

"Don't do that," I said quietly from my adjacent table.

"I can if I want," she said, grabbing his arm again.

"Do I need to call the police?" I said as my husband turned to her and also said, "Stop."

She quickly let go of the boy's arm, but said, "Go ahead. I'll tell them he's autistic and it's the only way I can control him."

"You're the one out of control," my husband said.

A few more nasty words to us, then she turned almost sweet to her children who now sat cowered.

I hoped it had been just a bad parenting moment like we've all had. But that recent incident has bothered me ever since. Should we have spoken up in the first place? Should we have called the police? Was it just a bad parenting moment, or was it far more?

Warning?

My worry grew as I interviewed neighbors of Magdelene Kamysz last week after news the young Crystal Lake mother had apparently killed her 7-year-old daughter before stepping in front of a train herself.

The warning bells went off when one neighbor said it seemed the little girl could do nothing right when her mom was around.

Those fears heightened when Sydney's first-grade teacher told me she had been worried about the mom's behavior and had wanted the school's social worker to call the Department of Children and Family Services. Others since have said they also saw warning signs of trouble.

It made me worry more about what happened to those children I encountered at the fast-food restaurant. Were authorities already looking at that mom? Would one more call have ensured parenting help, safety for those kids?

Did we let them down?

Let me ask you: What do you think we should have done?

Calm after the storm

Thankfully, the skies have cleared and winds have eased in this storm-ravaged region. Flood-threatened Algonquin resident Mark Korczyk called to sing the praises of Algonquin police and public works crews who he said helped keep the Fox River at bay for many riverfront residents.

"They did a fabulous job this past week," Mark said. "Kudos to the village of Algonquin … these guys just went beyond."

Tree troubles

I'm betting many West Dundee residents feel the same. Their crews had quite the mess to handle after the storms. With the huge onslaught of extra work, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro asked me to ask those of you with damaged trees in the parkway to call village hall at (847) 551-3800. They want to make sure they haven't missed anyone.

Close call

The destruction at the Dundee Township West Cemetery is massive but not irreparable. Township Supervisor Sue Harney said it will, however, cost far more to repair than the township's insurance covers.

"It's a disaster," she said. It's also amazing, she noted, that only one marker appears to have been demolished. Others like the large Binnie family marker, just escaped. Sue was at the corner of routes 31 and 72 when the storm blew through. "It was like someone was whipping the trees around like a tassel," she said.

Summer set

May there be much sunnier days ahead for all. Liz Wakeman of Lake in the Hills invites us all to stop by the Lake in the Hills Summer Sunset Festival, which wraps up today. You'll find plenty of fun, including a carnival, battle of the bands, bingo, fireworks, skateboard competition and, of course, plenty of food and cold brews at Sunset Park on Miller Road at Albrecht Road.

Be sure to stop by the new Kids' Korner from noon to 4 p.m., where Liz says your grade school children will find crafts, games, prizes, clowns, balloons and lots more. For details, go to www.summersunsetfest.com.

And have a wonderful, wonderful weekend.