[T.Smith]

I got some seriously foul looks from some mothers at the mall a few months ago. I was relaxing on a bench while my son, then 3, played in the children's play area near the food court. My son came up to me and said, "That boy hit me.". My response, without a moment of hesitation, was, "Go hit him back, harder.". You would have thought I had just stomped on a kitten.

Well, my kid is about the nicest child you will meet. According to his teachers everybody wants to be his friend. He's not going to start trouble, but I guarantee he'll have the fortitude to stop some trouble.

[TomHarkinIsNotFromIowa]

Can you remember the day or days when you realized that there were people that would hurt you? Or not like you? Or would take your belongings? Some of the first lessons I learned in school. (Innocence lost) One of the hardest things a parent gets to explain to a child.