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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say this is not a 6yr olds handwriting?

266 replies

ItsAHardKn0ckLife1 · 16/02/2022 06:33

news.sky.com/story/swindon-town-fc-search-for-fan-who-wrote-to-the-club-saying-he-could-not-afford-to-go-to-matches-12542987

This is surely an adult pretending to write like a child?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
JustBlethering · 16/02/2022 06:59

Definitely not a 6yo writing, it's also quite obviously a letter begging for free season tickets or something

Original poster
ItsAHardKn0ckLife1 · 16/02/2022 07:02

I think both @Stressedout1009

Amongst other things, the way the letters are formed aren’t consistent with how they’re taught in school imo. Also, the spelling mistakes seem “deliberate” to me.

OP posts:
EarringsandLipstick · 16/02/2022 07:02

I agree with all this but why forget to put the address then?

Original poster
ItsAHardKn0ckLife1 · 16/02/2022 07:03

Well, possibly so that it would go viral, like it has?

OP posts:
Stressedout1009 · 16/02/2022 07:03

@ItsAHardKn0ckLife1

I think both *@Stressedout1009*

Amongst other things, the way the letters are formed aren’t consistent with how they’re taught in school imo. Also, the spelling mistakes seem “deliberate” to me.

Yes I understand what you mean. I'm sure most 6yo would know to spell school as well.
MrsLargeEmbodied · 16/02/2022 07:04

i cant tell but i believe a 6.6 year old could have good hand writing.

SomeOwlsCoo · 16/02/2022 07:05

They "forget" the return address so no one notices its a begging letter. Instead it gets picked up by the media and everyone feels sorry for poor little Joe and his mum who can't afford to pay for his free school meals.
Mum and Joe get free season tickets/a nice donation from the football club which obviously wasn't the reason they sent the letter. Hmm

TheCountessOfGrantham · 16/02/2022 07:06

I think it's bollocks and this is fairly local to me. I have a six year old boy and I don't believe a six year old boy wrote that. It's the sellotaping money to it (a six year old would just put the money in the envelope), the ripped paper, the envelope itself.... He didn't pay postage but where was it addressed to? You can't just put "Swindon town." Where did he get the envelope and the sellotape? How did he get to a postbox without his parents knowing? If his parents did know, why didn't they get him a decent bit of paper? Six year olds get universal free school dinners, so his mum isn't scrimping for change for dinners.

Sorry but I think it was a parent who wants free season tickets and trusted the power of social media

JustBlethering · 16/02/2022 07:08

@EarringsandLipstick

I agree with all this but why forget to put the address then?
In the hopes it will go viral with people asking the boy and mum to come forward.
EarringsandLipstick · 16/02/2022 07:08

@ItsAHardKn0ckLife1

Well, possibly so that it would go viral, like it has?
Ah yes. I'm impressed with their ingenuity!
jackfrosttoes · 16/02/2022 07:08

well so what if it is the parent? It's not the end of the world if the parent is genuinely unable to buy them a ticket.

I'm on the fence - one DD could've done this at 6.

oakleaffy · 16/02/2022 07:10

Looks like the writing of someone who is elderly with arthritis
Definitely not a child.
A set up.

NashvilleQueen · 16/02/2022 07:12

I had the same thought. The missing out of the address encourages the club to publish on social media so there's lots of attention. If you just put the address on you might get a free season ticket but no tv opportunity on This Morning or whatever.

I'm also a bad person with cynical thoughts.

oakleaffy · 16/02/2022 07:12

@TheCountessOfGrantham

I think it's bollocks and this is fairly local to me. I have a six year old boy and I don't believe a six year old boy wrote that. It's the sellotaping money to it (a six year old would just put the money in the envelope), the ripped paper, the envelope itself.... He didn't pay postage but where was it addressed to? You can't just put "Swindon town." Where did he get the envelope and the sellotape? How did he get to a postbox without his parents knowing? If his parents did know, why didn't they get him a decent bit of paper? Six year olds get universal free school dinners, so his mum isn't scrimping for change for dinners.

Sorry but I think it was a parent who wants free season tickets and trusted the power of social media

This. It’s basically a begging letter ! The money stick to the letter? What child would think of doing that.

Free season ticket wanted.

Notmyfirstusername · 16/02/2022 07:12

It’s not that a 6 year old cannot have good handwriting. It’s that the style of writing shows short hand sloppy writing errors picked up from many years of writing. The 6 year old is likely to have things like finger spaces and if writing in cursive would be much neater with larger letter sizes and shapes. This is a note written quickly by an adult in my opinion.

ElliotGoss · 16/02/2022 07:13

The writing looks old fashioned to me.
Most of these kids write the darnest things that go viral are completely fake.

Penvelopey · 16/02/2022 07:13

There are better football clubs to go to though

Marvellousmadness · 16/02/2022 07:14

A kid wrote it. A mum dicated it.
Or an adult wrote it.
Either way. It is just a grasp at fame/money/pitty

OfstedOffred · 16/02/2022 07:14

Yanbu. The letter formation and spelling don't fit with a 6 year old having write it perfectly. 6 year olds in uk learn to read by phonics, they would not spell because "becuse". Becauz, becaus, becoz, becuz etc, but the "e" on the end is a giveaway.

TigerLilyTail · 16/02/2022 07:16

Before I looked I was going to say YABU because some 6-year-olds have really neat writing but after looking at it I totally agree with you that it's an adult pretending to write as a child. Deliberate mistakes and a deliberate attempt to make their writing look childlike but it's definitely got an adults flair to it. 1/10 for effort!!

Phenomenology · 16/02/2022 07:16

@oakleaffy

Looks like the writing of someone who is elderly with arthritis Definitely not a child. A set up.
Maybe it says aged 61 and Joe is a teacher 🤷🏼‍♀️
MrsLargeEmbodied · 16/02/2022 07:18

i can only remember when my dd was in year 2, the amount of rubbing out she did in her writing was unbelievable, and if there was a mistake and she was using a pen, she would cross it out and write it again.

SomeOwlsCoo · 16/02/2022 07:20

@jackfrosttoes

well so what if it is the parent? It's not the end of the world if the parent is genuinely unable to buy them a ticket.

I'm on the fence - one DD could've done this at 6.

I genuinely can't afford to take my musical mad son to see all the London shows he wants to see. Maybe I should write to the London theatres and explain. Hamilton is top of his list so I'll sent LMM some spare change.

Sometimes in life we can't afford treats like football/theatre tickets. It sucks but that's the way it is.

TigerLilyTail · 16/02/2022 07:21

Things like the lowercase a really sticks out to me because I have never seen a 6-year-old write a lowercase a with that style. The uppercase J too. It's like when you get older you get lazier about forming letters correctly and also add your own flair.

If it was dictated to an adult, then fair enough but the spelling mistakes look deliberate.

Cleanbedlinen12 · 16/02/2022 07:21

No 6/1/2 yr old child I know would rip round a letter like that, they’d start again and use 100 sheets of paper!
I think it’s very clever, like others have said, will go viral and then, suprise! Cute and surprised child and bashful mum get a ton of freebies. I’m betting she’ll know how to look good on camera too.