My (39f) sister in law (30f) yells at my 4 year old niece often. I don’t know what to do but I need to do something.

I’m going through a divorce right now so I recently moved in with my parents during this transition. My brother and his wife live in an addition that is attached to my parents’ house and I can hear a lot of what goes on next door. What I hear way too often is my SIL yelling at my 4 year old niece (SIL and brother’s daughter) throughout the day. The worst was the other night when she yelled at her for wetting her bed but it happens over every little thing. I have talked to my brother about it but he says that his wife has anxiety and there’s nothing he can do about it when he’s not home. I think it happens less often when he is home because he does all the childcare so there’s less for her to stress about.

I can’t sit back and do nothing and allow this to continue but I just don’t know what to do. Im unsure if this is child abuse and should be reported? If so, should I try talking to her first before I report? We do not have a great relationship/ it’s always awkward between us but I do watch my niece as often as I can for her. I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to approach this situation.

TLDR: SIL screams at my niece throughout the day. My brother says she has anxiety and there’s nothing he can do about it. What can/should I do?

Edited to add that my niece is SIL’s daughter as some were confused by my wording.

Submitted July 29, 2018 at 01:10PM by PapayaPapyrus https://ift.tt/2LNJHq6