Teaching Integrity When Kids Cheat
"My middle school son was recently playing in a basketball game when a kid on his team pretended to get hurt by a player from the opposing team. The supposed foul was literally 10 feet away from where I was sitting on the bleachers so I had a clear view of what actually transpired.
Our team's player was given foul shots, which he missed — fortunately, from my perspective. Our team ended up winning by a mere one point so the motive for cheating was clear. I discussed this boy's actions with my son on the car trip back home. My son was of the view that this was not "cheating, but a potentially winning strategy." What should I be doing as a parent to communicate how strongly that cheating is not an acceptable strategy in life?"
