10 Excuses Your Kids Make About Schoolwork Vs. The Truth

by Rachel Esco February 14, 2018

excuses kids make

Behind every excuse is a fibber-- too harsh? Okay, what about a very adorable storyteller? How ever we choose to sugarcoat it, one thing's incontestably true: kids won't often admit their vices, especially when it comes to school. Whether it's a missed due date or "lost" homework, there's usually something else they're not telling us. To keep our kids in check, keep an eye out for these ten excuses they make about schoolwork.

1. What they say: "The teacher said I could hand it in later."

What they mean: "I was already supposed to hand it in, but I didn't, so I made a plea to hand it in later by blaming everything on my 'anxiety'. But really, I'm just going to hand it in at some point in the distant future and I'll probably be deducted marks."

2. What they say: "We're not doing anything in class"

What they mean: "I'm not interested in what's being taught, so I spent the entire class Snapchatting people."

3. What they say: "I didn't go to class because there was a substitute."

What they mean: "Although the substitute did in fact have work for us, I felt I had better things to do."

4. What they say: "It's not my fault because the teacher didn't explain that part."

What they mean: "I wasn't listening and I'm blaming the teacher."

5. What they say: "I don't need to start the assignment now because it's not that big and won't be due for a while."

What they mean: "This is a big assignment, but I don't feel like starting it, so stop bugging me and let me play on my iPhone, while I secretly imagine I have no actual work or responsibilities."

6. What they say: "Nobody else handed it in on time either!"

What they mean: "My one friend didn't hand it in on time, but that's almost like everyone else (according to my weird logic). I'm hoping that by making everyone else seem as irresponsible as myself, I will somehow look more responsible by comparison."

7. What they say: "But they were talking too!"

What they mean: "I was mostly the only one talking."

8. What they say: "It took me hours."

What they mean: "It took ten minutes with a 1.83 hr texting break."

9. What they say: "My teacher hates me."

What they mean: "I'm behaving badly in class because my teacher's expectation for me to act better goes against my sense of personal freedom. This makes my teacher is a hateful human being and I'd like you to agree with me."

10. What they say: "It wasn't my fault!"

What they mean: "It was 100% my fault."