A judge calmly held a young child for two hours while the divorcing parents argued during a mediation session.

The incident was filmed at Puyang Intermediate People’s Court in the city of Puyang in the Chinese province of Henan earlier this month.

According to the news site Baidu, Judge Zhang Zhiqi was presiding over a divorce case involving the shared custody of the couple’s child.

Before the filmed incident, the judge had met with the couple three times in person and communicated with them over 20 times before deciding to try to find an agreement through mediation.

One of the parents arrived at the mediation session with the child, name and age not reported but said to be under three years old, and became embroiled in a row with the other party as soon as they walked through the court doors.

According to Baidu, the child became anxious as the parents argued and the judge reportedly could not help but think of his middle child around the same age and took pity on the minor.

In the footage, he lifts the child, apparently a boy, and gives him a hug that leads to him resting his head on the judge’s shoulder.

According to reports, Judge Zhang carried the child into the courtroom and held him for over two hours during the mediation process, and the boy eventually fell asleep on the official’s shoulder.

The session reportedly went smoothly, however it is unclear if an amicable arrangement was reached.