Dad Trolls School With Vacation Photo To Excuse 15-Year-Old’s Absence

This dad had the best excuse when his teen son missed school

School attendance is no joke, but even the most dedicated students sometimes need a break. One UK dad found a creative way to let his son’s school know that when they texted him about his 15-year-old’s absence and he responded by sending them a vacation photo.

Simon Morgan and his wife, Claire, run a South Wales travel company together, and they decided to take their son, James, out of school for a last minute trip to Dubai. The school sent a message the next morning to let Morgan know his son didn’t show up for class, and he responded with the best explanation he could offer: a photo of his son in front of a famous hotel Burj Al’arab.

According to Metro, it’s not the first time Morgan has sent what some might consider a smart-ass response to the school’s automated messaging system. He also once told them his son was late because he was stuck in a tree, and excused James’ absence during a stomach illness by claiming his bedroom door had been blocked by a hippopotamus.

James says school administrators have gotten used to his dad’s offbeat sense of humor and seem to take the messages in stride. “Everyone takes it in good humor,” he told Metro. “One of the teachers even high-fived me once when they heard about his latest prank. I think the picture of me in Dubai is the best one yet. It’s very funny.”

Morgan’s photo was so funny, in fact, it’s been shared all over the internet and even inspired others to share their own crazy stories about missing school. In the comments on Yahoo, dozens of people chimed in to offer their own best excuses for skipping class. Some had possibly questionable excuses:

“I skipped school to watch Laura and Luke get married on General Hospital.”

“A few years ago, I kept my 2 kids out of school to go to the zoo. When we rounded the corner, we ran into their principal with his kids! He paused a moment, then said ‘It is an educational experience.'”

Others were downright fantastic:

“Skipped school to see Neil Armstrong speak in Chicago after the moon landing. Brought a note that we (my brother and I) had come up with. Might even have worked had we not been caught by the TV news camera right next to the stage. Only thing saved the two of us was when asked what I was possibly thinking cutting school, I answered, ‘Thought it would be better to see history being made than to read about it later.'”

And some were just plain hilarious:

“When I was 13, I skipped school for something I considered important at the time. I asked my big brother to write me a note for the next day since I knew my Dad would have gotten #$%$ at me. I was called into the headmaster’s office and asked to explain the note they received. My big brother had written ‘Please excuse Susan’s absence from school yesterday, but she was suffering from rigor mortis.’ That got me one week of detention.”

We’ve all played hooky ourselves or let our kids skip a day of class for something we deemed too big to miss. As long as it’s not a regular thing, there’s no harm done, and that’s obviously the case here. “James is doing very well, is on target… and misses very few days so I knew it was not going to negatively affect his work,” says Morgan.

At the end of the day, it’s all about balance. School is an important part of every kid’s life, but the memories from an impromptu trip to Dubai, a Neil Armstrong talk, or even a General Hospital wedding can last a lifetime. It’s important to make time for both.