> If I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now, I don't know if I'd hit back or not. Chances are I could avoid the situation in the first place. Certainly I don't think the fallout from punching a bully would be as dire as I used to imagine. But I don't think fighting back is warranted except in specific circumstances. It all depends...sigh.
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> Occasionally I wonder how I should counsel my future kids about these things.

The one problem I see with fighting back, or even just landing one very well-deserved punch, is that the kid may receive too much praise and admiration from his peers. Sometimes that's enough to make it much easier the next time, and the next time, and so on.

But that's where parenting really comes in, because if the parents are aware of what their kids are going through, they can talk to them. It's when the acceptance of peers takes the place of acceptance of parents that the real troubles begin.

Ell"Preaching from observation, not experience"myruh