It started, as these things often do, with something small. Two children fell out over an online game – the kind where points and digital possessions carry surprising weight. What might once have ended in a quick apology, instead travelled beyond the screen. Heated messages were exchanged between parents. At some point, the conversation stopped being about the children and became something else: an inventory of past favours. Who had hosted more playdates. Who had shown up more. Who had bought more pizza over the years.And just like that, what emerged wasn’t a resolution but a ledger.We live in an era saturated with the language of community. “It takes a village”, we say, often and earnestly. We share tips in our local WhatsApp groups and post dreamily about front porches and pot-luck dinne