Last week I asked Lifehackers readers foradvice on dealing with a childhood bully.

Heres a sampling of your best advice.

Dontentertain your bully

Many of your responses touched on the motivations of bullies.

The overall takeaway: Bullies are often looking for an entertaining response from their marks.

LizzieMaesummed it up nicely:

When I was a kid there was one girl that got picked on relentlessly.

She wasnt ugly, she dressed like everyone else, no obvious reason to bully her.

But her reactions were so rewarding, it just made you want to poke at her.

I would tell them things like, Nice try!

Youre getting more creative.

But seriously, youre not getting what you want here.

Dont engage, it meant you had the last word, which bullies HATE.

They gave up in less than a week.

I loveAlex-Wssuggestion, because its basically make the bully work harder.

Act like you dont understand what they said and be dismissive.

Could you say that again?

So, whats your point?

Get them to repeat it over and over with explanations.

They get frustrated and look like an idiot for explaining the joke.

Or they look like a a-hole they are for picking on someone.

All it’s possible for you to do is check that youre not a target, Gmoney wrote.

They go after the weak, or poor, or strange looking.

But the games the game.

Join a sports team.

You get lumped in by association.

It was because he wasinvisible.

Train just a little, then challenge them to a fight.

Even if you lose, if they know youll stand up to them, theyll probably stop regardless.Rev.

Andrew R. Schoppe said on Twitter.

Her grandpa showed her USMC close combat skills that he taught in boot camp.

I wish an adorable little girl didnt have to fight, but it seems that she had to.

The bullied kid doesnt have to win the fight.

Thats not the point.

King put it on our Facebook page:

Former bullied kid here.

Heres what worked for me: FIGHT BACK!Even if you get mangled.

I learned that a bully always will take an easy target.

If you push me and I punch you in the face, youll probably hit me back.

But youll look for someone easier next time who wont fight back.

In many cases, they even respect you.

If not, theyll move on.

Also doesnt hurt to learn how to fight.

So for parents, believe your kid might be the most important suggestion of all.

I just got yelled at about sticks and stones and getting into fights.