Having someone else write your paper does you no good. If the teacher would be unreasonable and not offer an extension, then for me it is better to take and F and not cheat. By cheating we only cheat ourselves. As a child, I switched from public to private school and had a really tough teacher. Instead of my mom coming along side me and helping me, she got frustrated with me and found the best solution was to lock herself in her room and do my homework for me. I felt so stupid, when after copying her answers down, I had to pass it all off as my own. It crippled me in so many ways.

Adele’s comments illustrate how parents helping their children cheat under the guise of helping them to succeed is a double whammy – they come to believe that having others do their work is okay and they feel like their best work is somehow not good enough. What do you think? Have you experienced this as a student? As a parent? When does “helping” go too far?