It's a natural instinct for a parent to guard her child and for the parental radar to flash when there is a problem. Connie from San Jose, Calif. witnessed her toddler get the beating end of a stick swung aggressively by another toddler. The other toddler's mother did nothing during the attack. Connie grabbed the swinging stick and threw it out of arm's reach. She has since realized a different, more effective and gentle way to react. By removing her son from the situation and saying "It must have hurt when Tommy hit you like that. Tommy has a need to express his emotions right now, so let's leave him to do that by himself," Connie is able to console her son and make him realize the abuse wasn't directed at him.