back when i was a youngn , some big kid that lived down the block hit me, i walked in the house crying, my dad said "whats wrong?" , i said "rudy hit me" , my dad asked" did you hit him back?" , i said "no" , dad said "go back out there and hit him back" , so i went and hit rudy (more than once) , this time the big kid went home.
not sure how that relates to this thread, maybe teach your kids early to be self-reliant and depend on them selves because your not always going to be there?
anyway i like to tell that story, my dad was like that, when i wanted my first bike he made me earn 1/2 the money by mowing lawns and washing neighbors cars.