Asymmetrical warfare?

When I was about 7 years old, I was visiting family one summer, and a 5-year old cousin kept running up to me, pushing me, and running away. I faced a delemma.

Should I "defend myself" and strike the boy, who was almost half my size? He was doing me no real harm, but I was getting annoyed with him. I demanded he stop his shenannigans. (no, I did not use the word shenanigans)

He didn't stop. He kept running up behind me, pushing me, calling me some childish name, and running away.

I mulled it over in my mind. The adults were doing an excellent job of ignoring the situation. I thought if I hit him, the adults would be angry with me. I was much bigger than he was; it would seem like I was a bully.

I got pushed one time too many, and decided to take my chances and I punched the boy in the stomach. To my dismay, the brat began to howl and cry and tell everybody how I had beaten him, how he, an innocent, undeserving waif, had been brutally attacked by a bully nearly twice his size.

Nobody was angry though, in fact the opposite was true. The adults told the brat to shut up, he had it coming, now go get lost.

Sweet vindication! Looking back now, I suppose everybody there would have liked to punch that kid, but I was the only one there who could.