Letters to the Editor: Toddlers hit because that’s what toddlers do. An educator should know that

To the editor: I just had to respond to a recent letter writer’s opinion that a preschooler who hits obviously “learned” that behavior at home, watching the violent adults in his life.

Give me a break. Preschoolers hit because they lack the emotional regulation in their brains to control their impulses.

Contrary to the letter writer’s opinion that this violence is learned, the truth is exactly opposite of that. Toddlers need to learn to control the fight-or-flight response that surges inside their little bodies and brains during certain situations.

Aggression is not a learned behavior, but in fact is an instinctive one that needs to be unlearned. I would hope that every adult working with little children would know and understand this concept.

Terri Fox, Torrance