A fool’s fool

I’m usually the fool in my family — the challenge with living with four incredibly smart and passionate people — but one year I was determined to change things. My youngest son had been a little flip with my wife and I on submitting an excuse for a school absence. He wasn’t disrespectful, but at the same time, I thought his response to his mother and me could have been more considerate. He questioned why it took it us so long to fill out the parental excuse on the school district’s new web site.

Getting ready for the big day

I considered giving him a pass, but when he went to his room to study, I came up with a better idea. With April Fools coming up in a few days, I thought of a great way to get him back and teach him an important lesson. He was looking forward to traveling with his school’s jazz band on a trip to Six Flags Amusement Park. Of course, it presented the perfect carrot to stick out in front of him.

April Fools’ Day—celebrated on April 1 each year—has been celebrated for centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. April Fools’ Day tradition includes playing practical jokes on others.

In an effort to prank my son, I created an official letter with his school stationary stating that he had missed too many days of school without proper parental approval and would have to miss the trip. I forged the Superintendent’s signature and mailed the letter from our local post office. The knock-off looked legitimate. Yes, yes, it was devilish on my part, but a lesson is still a lesson!

Surprise it’s April Fools!

I got the first whiff that things were working as planned when my son sent me a text saying that we got a letter in the mail from the school and that we needed to talk about it that night. Of course, when I got home, I kept a straight face when he told me about how upset he was about getting the note.

Of course, his mother and I gave it up quickly that the note was a fake. We wanted to teach him a lesson, we didn’t want to spoil his fun. He claims to this day that he knew it was a prank, that my smile gave the prank away, but I’m not buying it. He was worried he was going to miss his trip.

Happy April Fool’s Day. I suspect we’re all sometimes the wise man or woman, and sometimes we’re the fool!

Image by Pexels.

Image by Pexels.

Image by Pexels.

Image by Pexels.

Image by Pexels.