Thanks for the quote James. I don't think you need to know how to fight. That's just one way.

I'm sorry to hear about your daughter Billy. Perhaps one day she will get over her resistance to learning aikido. I'm not convinced that not reacting is the best way for her to deal with bullying though.

Mary I admire your equanimity and the way you always try to keep on the real path of aikido.

Thanks Graham. Yes that sounds like a good day.

To paraphrase Sun Tzu: "The best fight is the fight you don't fight"; still, I think you need to learn how to fight to be able to do this.

Hi Niall; recently my daughter asked me to teach her how to punch, I did then she punched me, it hurt. She gets bullied at school a lot, she does not react, fortunately for the other kids, she bottles it up till she gets home and we can tell her we love her and that she is special. Don't think I could teach her Aikido she wouldn't listen, she says I know nothing, bless her!! Best, Billy

Like a woman in a fifties movie where she just stands and screams while she is being attacked.

Yeah, suppose it was kind of reverse psychology. To me it was more a matter of letting him be, keeping the door always open and 'trying' to be an example. It was quite a day when he came to me and said "Dad, I think I'm ready now" Peace.G.

Thanks James. Yes that sounds very sensible. Let me know if you want any help any time with links or photos. I didn't know anything about it either at first. Niall

Thanks for your reply Mary. I don't quite see what you mean by a womanly response to self-defence. A stiletto to the temple? Niall

Niall: That is a difficult question. It is not just a matter of teaching a child to fight, but also of the various circumstances in which fighting is the appropriate response. So, fighting skills should be part of a philosophy of life. You, as a parent have to live this kind of life, actualizing it, serving as a model for the child. Ultimately, you can't force a child to learn to fight. Thanks for the advice on live-linking, but my IT skills are even worse than my fighting skills.

I talked about situations with each child when it came up in life. I hope I gave them examples and ideas other than what is traditionally portrayed as womanly responses to self-defense situations. And as a power of example I take extremely good care of myself.

Thanks Graham. I remember you said you used reverse psychology with your son and waited until he was ready. Niall

Thanks for the recommendations Mary. Your book sounds very interesting. Having explained to James how to do a live link with tags I will now put one using the globe/chain insert link icon right above this comment box: Mary Eastland's book on Amazon: Self-Defense for Every Day. What would you do Mary if a child wasn't interested in learning? Niall

Thanks James. Good answer. How about when your child doesn't want to learn to fight? By the way if you want to put a live link to your website use the [ url ]mooninthewater.net[ /url ] tags with no spaces inside the square brackets which gives mooninthewater.net. You can use them on your signature too. Niall