If there are other children or adults around, you may feel the natural urge to say something to the child, such as “It’s not okay to hit,” but that phrase won’t lead to decreased hitting. It’s most likely you have the urge to say something like that because you want the other children or adults to know you don’t condone hitting, but they probably already know that about you. In this moment try to give yourself permission to prioritize calming, aka co-regulation.
