When I was growing up, it was just another day for my brothers and I to be fighting. We punched, kicked, slapped, pulled each other’s hair. It was part of being siblings in our household. I would venture to say that is the case for a lot of other people too. Kids fight. They just do. My kids fought constantly. As you can see from the photo above, so do my grandchildren. But, is it ever ok for a child to hit another child?
This debate has been going on on Facebook for a while today. In this case, the question is about if it is ok for a BOY to hit a GIRL if she hits him first. Does a young boy, say age 10 or younger, have the right to defend himself if his he hit first by a girl.
The debate turned into a discussion of domestic violence, which I feel is NEVER ok. It is never ok for a man to hit a woman or for a woman to hit a man, for any reason. I have been in a domestic violence situation myself, and just left. That man only got once chance to hit me. I walked away and never looked back. But that is not what I am talking about here.
Why is it in our society that we teach BOYS to never hit a girl, under any circumstances? If, for instance, a little boy was being bullied on the playground or on the bus by a little girl, and he hits her back, then HE is the one who gets in trouble? If he doesn’t hit her back, but tells his parents, and the parents go to the school principal, then that little boy is called a sissy or made fun of by other kids at school. If the situation were reversed, and it was a little girl getting hit by a little boy, and SHE hit back, no one would say a word.
What do you think? Should both children be punished equally when this happens? Should the little boy just have to suck it up and be a man? Should the little girl be the one who gets punished? Should the girl be punished the same as if the boy had hit a girl? Do you teach your children to walk away or to fight back?
