Like almost everything else in life, learning happens through experience. Sadly, one of the most destructive things a child can learn is that violence is an acceptable way of life, that violence can get him what he needs or wants and that violence is power and aggression is the only way to achieve that power.

The interesting thing about the bully who was the prior victim of bullying or abuse is that he chooses to hurt others in exactly the same way he was hurt. He knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of hurt and humiliation, yet he still chooses to dish it out to others. These kids adhere to the I'm-hurting-so-you-will-too school of thought.

As mentioned earlier, a recent study showed that 97 percent of kids who bully had also been the victims of bullying. Kids raised in aggressive and violent homes have learned to be aggressive and violent. And if these kids don't get help, some of them will bully and abuse their offspring, who will then go on to abuse and bully their peers and offspring, and the cycle will go on and on and on.

To be fair, many kids who are abused or bullied do not go on to become bullies themselves. They endure the abuse until it subsides or they find other ways to handle it. Those who do go on to bully are simply perpetuating the cycle of violence.