“However, these days fighting back against a bully is probably considered an aggressive action.”
It is. Under “zero tolerance,” both the bully and the kid who defends him/herself are held equally accountable. The bully usually couldn’t care less about the school’s punishment, while the bullied kid usually does.
Real fair, eh?
Actually, I think there is some merit in the zero tolerance policy.
It teaches kids at an early age that authority figures, adults, employers, supervisors, etc. simply can’t be trusted to have integrity and be fair, and that they are incapable of making even simple judgments on matters like these.
It’s a tough lesson, but fair or not, it is largely true. The sooner a kid learns that those charged with responsibility refuse to exercise it justly, the better.
Nope.
That’s why I have told my kids that, if they fight in self defense, I’ll back them up all the way. They might get punished, but not by me...