If your ten year old was being bullied by one of their peers, would you insist that they stand up to, confront or fight them back? Do you think that this is a responsible parenting method to take?

I'd encourage them to fight back, and then if I got a call from the school I'd be saying how surely they previously called the other kid's parents and told them how their child was assaulting another student without provocation, no? Well then why call and bother me? You don't have anything better to do with your day? You've got 900 kids to watch in that school but you find time to call and bug me about something that's handled itself?

I always told mine to never start anything but to finish it. And, though she was small, she was pretty ballsy about standing up for herself, too.

Yes and yes.