My kid beats up another kid

"Hi Dad, I was in a fight today."

"What happened?"

"Don't worry. It was self-defense."

"How was it self-defense?"

"I was walking along with [BOY] and [BOY] and there was a kid making fun of us. He called us names. We started saying stuff back. He said he could beat us up. I said I could beat him up. I didn't want him to hit [BOY] so I got in front. He punched me. And we started fighting."

"What did you do to him?"

"I got him to the ground. I think his glasses were broken. He was crying."

"Are you sure it was self defense?"

"Yup."

"Aster, you're a trained ground fighter. I'm sure you knew you could beat him up. But don't let all that confidence go to your head. It doesn't matter if he started it. I think you could have probably done a little more to avoid a fight."

"But..."

"Listen. You can always fight. But it takes maturity to walk away. You don't need to prove anything. You're not a bully."

"Oh... [PAUSE] Dad, please don't tell Master Lopez about it."

"OK."