Father of 5 Writes Hilarious Notes To Children’s Teachers to Excuse Tardiness

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Seth King late notes
Images via today.com

Seth King knows first hand how hard it can be to get five children ready and off to school on time each morning. So, when his children continued to be consistently tardy to class due to sleeping in or taking a long time to get ready, he decided to try a new tactic.

King explained his parenting method to TODAY, saying,

I was getting bored with writing the same old excuse note, and it got to a point where I also wanted my kids to understand the shame they should be feeling for being tardy and putting on-time attendance at their school as a second-tier priority.

The excuses King writes in the notes vary from his 13-year-old son getting tied up at boy-band practice to his 3-year-old son selling “borrowed” skeeballs out of his power wheels jeep.

King, from Herriman, Utah, combines his form of public shaming with parental love to make sure his children learn that actions have consequences.

I love my kids dearly, but I understand also that the world is sometimes a harsh place once you get out of that cocoon of adolescence,” King told TODAY. “I think preparing them for a life of public shaming and consequences early on is probably a good thing. At the same time, I let them know that they’re loved, they’re cared for, and I’ve got their back.”

Followers of King’s Instagram account, @LateNotes, aren’t the only ones that get a good laugh at the excuses he comes up with. King told KSL, that sometimes teachers will call about how funny his late notes are. “It’s a win-win for everyone,” King said.

When asked what inspired him to write these notes, King explained that his father got sick early on and that he always looked on the humorous side of things.

“I figured, I’m not going to take life too seriously, I want my kids to not take life too seriously I want them to have fun and enjoy their existence, be it the dramatic times or not,” King explained to KSL.

This was an opportunity for me to put a little sunshine on maybe a little bit of a dark cloud of a moment for my daughter and teach her a life lesson.

King’s wife will write some of the excuse notes if he is out of town on business or unable to write them on a specific morning. TODAY reports that the couple shares a “comedic relationship that helps them cope with the daily stresses of parenting.” 

View some of the late notes, posted below, or visit King’s Instagram account for a good laugh.

A photo posted by Mr. King (@latenotes) on

A photo posted by Mr. King (@latenotes) on

A photo posted by Mr. King (@latenotes) on

A photo posted by Mr. King (@latenotes) on

Kylie is a writer at LDS.net and graduate of BYU with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. She grew up in a Chicago suburb where she gained a passion for the Chicago Cubs. She enjoys writing and live event video production.