Ciara Kelly advised her child to hit their bully “as hard as you can” when they were growing up. 

Clinical psychologist Dr David Coleman has argued that if a child is being physically bullied by one of their peers, it is okay to say they can fight back. 

He argues defensive behaviour is acceptable and Newstalk Breakfast presenter Ciara Kelly said she “completely agrees”. 

“If you’re walking along the street and someone comes over and assaults you and hits you, you are allowed to hit them back,” she said. 

“You’re allowed to defend yourself; I don’t know what we’re saying to small kids if that happens in the schoolyard.

“Imagine if you were being picked on in your workplace as an adult, you’d find it very difficult to cope with, so imagine coping with it as a kid in your daily environment.”

 

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Ciara is a mother of four and at one point she had to help her child deal with a violent bully. 

“I said, ‘Hit them back; hit them once and hit them as hard as you can,’” Ciara said. 

“I [didn’t] want them getting in a fight but I do sometimes think that the bully will go at you and at you until you push back. 

“I don’t want my child to have the mentality that they are a victim, I want them to be able to feel they can defend themselves.” 

In the end, Ciara’s child did not take her advice because they were worried about getting into trouble.

Posed photograph of a child being bullied.

Co-presenter Shane Coleman said Dr Coleman’s advice sounds like a “commonsense approach” but stressed it depends on the context. 

“Let’s face it, there are some people who if you hit them back, it may make it worse,” he said. 

“Obviously, we’re not trying to encourage kids to be violent, it is just about standing up for themselves. 

“So, I would do it on a case-by-case basis.”

Main image: Ciara Kelly. Picture by: Newstalk