Is it okay to hit back? - Page 7

Accept that the school is a broken system, and if your son knows good morals, he will know that moral law comes before the law of the school board. But before hitting back, teach him to accept the swift retribution that the school may levy upon him for the simple yet unforgivable offense of having a backbone.

Schools nowadays are about as bad as you can get. They cut back everywhere, and there a notable number of teachers who really shouldn't even have their jobs.

Seems like the lack of backbone is getting through. Freshmen this year have no backbone at all. Case in point...Our lunches are served on a first come first serve basis. Let's just say I can still snag a lunch well before a small crowd of them, simply by reaching over them. I'm only 5' 10", so they're pretty short.

They don't even complain about it either.

OP is in reference to a five year old, so I'll start from there. Is it okay to hit back? Wrong question, because it leads to a simplistic approach to situations that can become increasingly complex, especially with younger children. In a school that discourages fighting back what do you do, issue a rules of engagement, a good luck and pat on the back, see you on the other side?

How about first teaching and showing that they have the strength to take hits without anything to really be afraid of? This is the base for surviving a fight without fighting. The other side is defense---specifically protecting the face, head, and ears. With time they develop the confidence to stand their ground, take their hits, and walk away with their head held high that they did the right thing, and not without the cost of sundry bruises and such. 

Doing the right thing and paying the cost for holding the moral high ground brings respect and self esteem, and the bully will be seen for exactly what they are. 

... so you want to teach kids to fend off blows at the vital organs with sort of less vital limbs and soft smooshy body parts instead? 

OP is in reference to a five year old, so I'll start from there. Is it okay to hit back? Wrong question, because it leads to a simplistic approach to situations that can become increasingly complex, especially with younger children. In a school that discourages fighting back what do you do, issue a rules of engagement, a good luck and pat on the back, see you on the other side?

How about first teaching and showing that they have the strength to take hits without anything to really be afraid of? This is the base for surviving a fight without fighting. The other side is defense---specifically protecting the face, head, and ears. With time they develop the confidence to stand their ground, take their hits, and walk away with their head held high that they did the right thing, and not without the cost of sundry bruises and such. 

Doing the right thing and paying the cost for holding the moral high ground brings respect and self esteem, and the bully will be seen for exactly what they are. 

I agree that defense is very important, but I've found that no matter how durable of a punching bag you are, the bully still enjoys it. It's not usually that they're trying to beat the victim into a pulp, but to humiliate them publicly, and boost their perceived public image. Defense is a means to safety, but defense alone provides no incentive for the fight not to continue at earliest convenience. If you don't attack back, a war of attrition and defense eventually ends in abysmal failure, or in this case, life as a well-defended and physically unharmed punching bag, who still spends every day looking forward to being beaten.