“You will encounter situations where parents will tell their kids, ‘If you are hit, I want you to hit back.’”

Experts point out it is important for parents to keep emotions in check and to not encourage a child to hit back or retaliate.

And apparently you will encounter “experts” who advise kids to be punching bags for bullies.

Look, I’m all for kids going to their parents with this stuff. Obviously. And I’m all for parents talking to school authorities. I’m all for calling up the parents of the kid (something else that the so-called experts warn against).

But I’m also for striking back when you are struck. I went to grade school in Los Angeles. I was skinny, introverted, and, truth be told, kind of funny looking. Unsurprisingly, then, there were sometimes bullies. What I remember most about these encounters is that the only thing that ever helped was bloodying the nose of my antagonist.

Bullies don’t like fights, you see. They like pushing people around. Fighting is work, and–win or lose–fighting can be painful.

I carried on with this strategy well into middle school. Sometimes it got me in trouble. Sometimes it got me hurt. But I never, ever had to suffer endless torment at the hands of some smirking bully.

Kids, if a schoolmate hits you and there’s no one around to help, hit back.

“You… yeah, you. Sick of some jerk shoving your head down the toilet? Well, you know what? Maybe… you should lift some weights, or uh, take a karate lesson and the next time he tries to do it, you kick him in the balls.” – Donnie Darko