How will I deal with it?

How am I going to handle other children with my children?  I saw two people, independently, comment on facebook today something along the lines of how to deal with other kids "attacking" their kids.  For example hitting and name calling.  I am not very good at dealing with these situations.  Both made comments, jokingly or not, about "going after" the child.  There were also comments about reporting it to the school.  I understand the need to report it.  But I tend to have a more passive approach.  I would rather teach my child to deal with the situation.  I can't control how others raise their children and what they teach them / allow them to do.  I can't control other children.  I can teach my child how to deal with the situation.  This is beyond school.  This is about life.  But isn't school life?  I hope to teach my child about "sticks and stones" and not to fight fire with fire.  I don't want to rely on school to protect them.  Life isn't about protecting our children.  We can't protect our children from other children.  Life is about teaching our children. 

But my children are small.  I haven't had many instances yet to deal with this.  Occassionally, Laci will come home and tell me that so and so hit her at daycare and not on accident.  I usually tell her that I am sure he didn't mean it.  Or that he is just mean.  :)  I also remind Laci not to tattle and that these things happen.  I am never sure how to handle other parents and other kids at the park either.  It's easy to talk a big talk about tolerance and not "going after" others when it hasn't happened yet and about teaching my children about how to deal with other children.  But how am I going to handle these things when they actually happen.  How do I teach my children to deal with other children.  I want to raise children that become adults that know how to deal with other adults.