Is it okay to teach your toddler to defend himself or push back?

My son is 2.5 years old in daycare. He is a very sweet pacifist (sometimes I wonder if he is too much). He hates it when others are sad or hurt in some way.I've seen him get pushed by other kids when I pick him up, and I do stand up for him, saying things like "that's not nice, you shouldn't push." However, many times he comes home and reports that some other boy pushed him. He never bites, pushes, or instigates anything. Although I'm not sure if I should fully believe his recounting of events, it seems like he says he doesn't like it very clearly and something like "no! don't do that!" It seems that he remembers the teacher getting mad when it happens too.All that said, I wonder if he should learn to push back when being pushed himself. Is it okay to teach self-defense as a deterrent? I fear that him just saying "stop!" or "I don't like this!" is not enough. I think teachers do step in and reprimand but to some degree they feel that it's going to happen from time to time regardless. Am I teaching my kid to be a punching bag? via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2uti8ts