This is a tough one. It really depends.
Mr W has gotten aggressive in the last 4 weeks.
We vary our response from reacting to removing. DW sometimes acts like she is hurt, which sends Mr W into a wailing crying session because he thinks he has hurt her. I think this is the most effective due to his level of empathy for things.
There is a developing line of work that suggests that some kids will never submit to their parents and that by striking them (and not showing hurt or sympathy) they are turned into psychopaths because they never learn to develop empathy for their victims.
