Cheating Our Kids

     I recently read an article in "Reader's Digest" by a professional "paper writer". He worked for an internet company that wrote papers and completed class assignments for college students. Shocking as it may seem that people make scads of money doing something so unethical even more shocking was the large number of students across all majors paying upwards of $2000.00 per paper to cheat their way through college.
     Mr. Professional Paper Writer even shared some e-mails from his clients and quickly demonstrated why he was hired. The e-mails were a mixture of texting shortcuts, grammatical errors, and misspelling so horrendous I couldn't even understand what the students were saying. They were illiterate, at least in their written expression.
     Just like any social issue this one, in my opinion, has many facets. We could debate the quality of our schools, or conditions of the family, cultural ethics and morals, personal responsibility all which, again in my opinion, contribute to a twenty something graduate student who can't write a literate e-mail. However, I want to focus on what I think is the psychological junk food of "Katie can do anything or be anything and she's entitled to it."
     We start while our kids are young. Trophies for everyone. No one looses. Things that were once considered privileges  TV, computer games, phones, lavish vacations are all now considered essential to good parenting. We teach our kids to expect that life will provide six figure income jobs and a spouse that will answer their every  need simply because they are entitled to it. And on the occasion when reality might come a little too close to home, like having to write an actual thesis for your graduate program, you can always pay someone else to do the , uhmmm, what's that word?? Oh, yea, WORK!
     There's nothing wrong in encouraging our kids to reach for the stars. This is , after all, the American Dream. But we are doing a great disservice by not teaching them that hard work and personal responsibility are just as important as the dream. Personal integrity is a must. A nursing student my pay someone to write her case studies but what happens when she's on the emergency room floor? Will the MBA who bought a pre-made thesis have any qualms about embezzling money from the company? Scary stuff for sure!