My Child the Cheater

[swmom]

I've caught my dd cheating. Please tell me that it's normal for children try this. I know she has low self esteem and I think this is a result of that but how can we stop this? She's a bright girl and doesn't need to do this to do well. I think she just prefers "the shortcut" but it's got to stop.

[ilovemyboys]

If it makes you feel any better, I was a very good student and very good child (never got in trouble at school). However, there were occasional times that I cheated too. I think it is perfectly normal, especially if others do it and you see they don't get caught, and you are nervous about failing.

[Gillian]

I wouldn't worry unless you see a lot more of it. Surely everyone has tried this on at some time.

[2pearl]

swmom last year my son got caught stealing something from another kid's house. I was freaked out by it just as you are. But in retrospect I am so glad that we caught him at it the first time so that we could address it swiftly. It has never happened again and I think it's just one of those things that kids sometimes experiment with. Certainly it doesn't help that our kids tend to be more impulsive. Anyway, it's good she hasn't had an opportunity to get "good" at it.

[notab]

swmom,

Your daughter sure keeps your life interesting, doesn't she?

I would guess that this is due to her anxiety. I remember once in school that I got a test and just went blank despite the fact that I had studied hard and knew the material. I didn't even know where to start on it. I was desperate and started looking around at other papers just to get started. I think we all are capable of cheating in some circumstances.

Was this a test or homework? What did she say when you talked to her about it? Does she understand that it is wrong? I would be more concerned that she understood it was wrong and didn't plan on doing it again.

Cindy