This dad’s letter defending his son from ‘petty’ punishment at school is going viral

The constant demands of school can be tough on a kid. Those rigors are usually good for them to establish structure in their lives. But sometimes, teachers take the rule enforcement a little too seriously — at least for this dad’s taste.

Comedian Seann Walsh posted a letter his dad wrote to his teacher back in 2000 on Twitter, and it has gone viral. Since it was shared on April 17, the tweet has garnered about 33,000 likes and almost 6,300 retweets — proving that many parents can relate to this situation.

Apparently, a young Walsh had gotten in trouble for wearing his sweater, which was against uniform policy. He was supposed to wear a jacket, but it had a stain on it, and so he wore a sweater until it got confiscated by a persnickety teacher.

 

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So, Walsh’s dad penned a letter to the teacher and sent it to “Mr. Field” via fax:

https://twitter.com/seannwalsh/status/986287042727378946

His dad took the blame for his son’s school jacket not being clean because he didn’t know how to work the washing machine.

“Sean was too embarrassed at having a father who cannot use the washing machine to say this,” his dad wrote. (Seann later added a second “n” to his name in adulthood.)

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But most pertinently, Walsh’s dad questioned confiscating his son’s sweater at all, and he asked that the teacher not be quite so “petty.” He added that “life’s hard enough” without having to worry about something this insignificant.

This note struck up a conversation online, with many people on giving kudos to Walsh’s dad for sticking up for his son.

One commenter call him a “great dad” — even if he can’t operate the washing machine:

Another Twitter user even wanted to thank dear old dad himself:

Others shared stories of wardrobe woes from their own school days.

Twitter user K.L. Phan recalls not being able to find small enough uniforms during her school years:

This mom shared the penalty for dress code violations at her kids’ school:

But the main takeaway from this viral tweet is that sticking up for your kids when you believe they’re in the right can leave a lasting impact on them. Even if it doesn’t solve the problem, at the very least, your kids will never forget that you took their side (and they may even brag about it online about it years later)!

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Perhaps what they say is true — parents really do know best!

RELATED: In addition to doing the laundry, here are some other things children should be able to do by the time they turn 13:

Family & Parenting, Humor & Funny, Parenting, Viral
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About the Author
Augusta Statz
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.

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