how to punctuate: "As I watched them, it seemed to me that, by his actionsthe lad was testing the mother to the point ..."

Question

Not sure if commas are correct.

Answer 1

"As I watched them, it seemed to me that, by his actions the lad was testing the mother to the point ..."

 

YES.  There should not be a comma after actions because "by his actions" is a prepositional phrase and does not need a comma after it.  The comma before by is needed to separate clauses.

Answer 2

"As I watched them, it seemed to me that, by his actions, the lad was testing the mother to the point ..."