Mom blasted as a ‘bully' over ‘hit back harder' playground advice for her kids: ‘If that's controversial, I don't really care'
Louisiana mom Brittany Norris sparked a schoolyard smackdown on TikTok — after unapologetically declaring that she's raising her kids to fight fire with fists.
'If someone hits my kid, I'm not raising them to go tell the teacher. Not raising a snitch,' Norris, 27, said in a now-viral video.
'Handle it yourself, hit back, defend yourself, and if that's not enough, I will interfere. If that's controversial, I don't really care, because no. Hit back harder. Thank you,' the tough-talking tigress told followers.
Never mind the five-second rule of playground justice — try five-fingers.
The no-messing-around mother's bold battle cry — on behalf of her 5-year-old — has racked up more than 42,000 likes and 800+ comments, with reactions ranging from cheers to jeers.
'I was always told, 'Never throw the first punch but you better finish it,'' one commenter wrote, gesturing in digital solidarity.
Another chimed in: 'Bullies only bully the ones who allow it.'
And a third echoed the scrappy social media star's warrior code: 'Yep, even if it's worth getting in trouble, defending yourself is a skill u need in the real world and they don't teach u that in school, is all about control and compliance.'
But others slammed the self-defense stance as too much too soon — and just plain dangerous.
'This teaches kids to solve problems with violence instead of seeking help or resolution. It also undermines trust in teachers and makes schools harder to manage,' one user blasted.
'This energy is gross. Hitting people isn't OK,' scolded another.
One elementary school teacher even weighed in from the front lines of the classroom.
'As an elementary teacher, this is the mindset of nearly every parent and fighting is out of control. We won't even know students are having problems with one another because they won't tell us about it. They will just fight … I'm not saying kids can't learn to defend … or advocate for themselves but they need to communicate with the adults in charge of keeping them safe before it gets to that point.'
Norris isn't budging. In a follow-up interview with TODAY, she doubled down.
'I would rather be in the principal's office because my child stood up for herself,' she said.
She did clarify one thing: don't throw the first punch — just make sure you throw the last one.
Still, experts are raising a red flag.
'The problem with telling people what they should or shouldn't tell their kids about hitting back, is that you are telling them what their values should be about violence, protection, safety, dignity and autonomy,'
'It's not as easy as saying, 'Well, if somebody hits you, it's always OK to hit them back.''
Her advice? Lead with peace — but prepare for consequences.
'That may be the warrior you want to raise,' said Gilboa, 'but then you owe it to your kid to talk to them ahead of time about how they may get punished by that situation.'
But Norris' tough-love approach isn't the only parenting style stirring chatter.
As previously reported by The Post, experts say the way parents talk to kids can be just as important as what they tell them to do.
Child psychologist Reem Raouda recently slammed the classic 'Because I said so' as a total fail when sitting down with CNBC.
Her advice? Try, 'I know you don't like this decision. I'll explain, and then we're moving forward.'
Meanwhile, mental health therapist Cheryl Groskopf called out what she terms 'ego parenting' in a PopSugar interview — disciplining to feel powerful, not to help kids grow.
Think refusing to apologize or pushing kids into stuff just to look good.
So whether you're team 'hit back harder' or 'talk it out,' experts say the why and how behind your parenting matters just as much as the what.
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