J.C.
It's not okay to hit and kick people no matter what age your child is. 16 months is plenty old enough to receive discipline when he is behaving badly. When my son was that age, if he ever hit me or was too rough with his sister (who is only 15 months older), he'd sit in time out. If your child gets out, pick him up without speaking, put him back in chair or corner and walk away. Keep doing it until he stays. If he is having big trouble staying in place, put him in his room, shut his door, and hold it shut for about 90 seconds. But, before you do so, explain to him that he hit you and therefore has to go to time out. If he's laughing at your lectures you're giving him about "soft touch" then it's time to try something else, and time out is very effective at that age if done correctly. If he does something to the pet, look at him and say "No hitting the cat, now you will have to sit in your room for a time out." Once the timeout is over though, if he's not still throwing a fit, open the door and smile at him and say "okay, let's go play". If he is in his room throwing a fit, you have to let him sit in there until he stops. After a couple seconds of him stopping, open the door and let him come out if he's been in there longer than his time out time. That way he learns that if he's screaming, mommy doesn't let him out, but if he stops, mommy opens the door and he's allowed to go play again. If I were you, I would get this under control now, because with a boy it is NOT a phase usually. Or with girls in my opinion. I have a cousin who always said "it's just a phase" and now she has a totally out of control 4 year old who I honestly get up and leave the table if he comes and eats at it when I'm at my grandma's house. He's horrible to just be in the same room with.