There comes a time in every child’s life when they’ve gotta face the hard truth.
See what happens when one Redditor catches their daughter cheating.
Read the full article below to learn how it’s handled.
AITA For making my daughter pay for her own college testing and applications because she was caught cheating?
I received a call to pick up my daughter “Lily” because she had been caught cheating on her practice SAT.
After arriving, I learned Lily’s friend “Sam” had also been caught cheating.
Her score was canceled, but, thankfully, Lily will still be allowed to retake the test, and this has not gone under any kind of record.
Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine what that feels like as a parent.
When I talked to Lily about what happened, she told me that Sam’s mother was going to punish Sam if she didn’t earn an exceptionally high score.
And Sam had, in turn, put pressure on my daughter to help her cheat.
I have felt for a long time that Sam is not a genuine friend to Lily and has been trying to hold my daughter back to feel better about her own poor choices.
And I had spoken to Lily about this before, and to not let Sam manipulate her into anything she knows is wrong.
Lily told me that she had understood yet did this.
This is some good shared wisdom.
I told Lily that, to prove she will take her education seriously from now on, she will need to come up with the fee for her future tests and college applications on her own.
I suggested she start working odd jobs (such as babysitting or dog walking for the neighbors) to save up early.
Despite telling me she understood, the time to register for the next test is approaching, and my daughter asked me to pay because she is short on cash, and her school will not offer the test again until spring.
She brought up the original excuse that Sam pressured her into cheating.
I told my daughter no.
I am not going back on my word, and she will learn to treat these opportunities with respect once she has to earn it herself.
I also told Lily that she needs to stop letting Sam manipulate her, and if she can’t stand up to her then maybe she doesn’t have the mental maturity for college.
Wow, this is another brilliant point.
Our extended family became involved in the disagreement and are insisting that we cover the fee because it’s for her education and is important for college.
I am not allowing them to cover the fee for Lily because it’s undermining my lesson.
Interesting. Doesn’t the family understand the future implications?
Inevitably, someone pretending to be her friend is going to pressure her to cheat again in college.
Then, when she gets caught again, I will wind up losing thousands of dollars, and Lily will lose her shot at a good education.
Her college journey won’t last long, regardless, unless she learns responsibility now.
Even though she spent her money poorly and doesn’t have enough now, she will be able to wait and test in spring, even if it’s a less convenient time for her.
So, does this put her behind in terms of enrollment?
Lily is now a junior in high school.
Taking the test in spring will not delay Lily’s college applications.
If she takes the test in spring, or even decides to retry during the summer, her score will still be available for her to use by the time fall applications roll around.
And what about saving up the money? Does she still have time for that?
I have also broken down the math in multiple comments already.
Lily had and still has ample time and opportunity to save up.
If she spends her money wisely this time, she will have more than enough to cover the fees.
Especially as these are the only expenses she will need to cover.
AITA For putting my foot down with Lily and our family?
This parent seems to have this lesson thought out.
Does Reddit agree with this parenting tactic?
Many asked how this would help their daughter learn a lesson about manipulation.
Others fully supported the parent’s block on payment.
Some questioned if Lily was as much of a victim as the poster led readers to believe.
Readers also mentioned that college wouldn’t be as lenient with cheating.
Ultimately, most said “NTA,” as this is a small hurdle for a precious life lesson.
This parent taught their teen something the world may not be so kind about in the future.
She’ll thank them one day. Probably.
If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.