Book excerpt: Why do bright kids cheat, lie, and manipulate? What can you do about it? More than 80% of bright students self-reported that they had cheated in an academic setting and had never been caught. Bright children try to manipulate parents and teachers for many reasons-boredom, a lack of appropriate challenges, a need to fit in, fear of failure, or simply avoiding responsibility. Kate Maupin addresses symptoms, underlying causes, and how to address roots of the problem, rather than simple punishment, so that children do not become repeat offenders. She also discusses ways to build honesty and confidence so that children can become self-sufficient, life-long learners who no longer feel a need to resort to cheating, dishonesty, or manipulation.