Be Careful The Promises You Make To Your Children

from the whoops dept

Are spoken promises to children contractually binding? An 11-year-old in central China apparently believes so. His mother promised him a computer if he received grades over 94%. When he scored 97%, his mother told him she couldn’t afford the computer, so he took her to court to honor the agreement. The judge apparently “reconciled” the pair, though no details are given. Amusingly, the boy claims he learned about the law from helping his mother and father with their own business. Apparently, his parents taught him a little too well.


Rate this comment as insightful
Rate this comment as funny
You have rated this comment as insightful
You have rated this comment as funny
Flag this comment as abusive/trolling/spam
You have flagged this comment
The first word has already been claimed
The last word has already been claimed
Insightful Lightbulb icon Funny Laughing icon Abusive/trolling/spam Flag icon Insightful badge Lightbulb icon Funny badge Laughing icon Comments icon

Comments on “Be Careful The Promises You Make To Your Children”

Subscribe: RSS Leave a comment
1 Comment
todd says:

No Subject Given

A promise is only legally binding (in the US) if consideration is given in exchange for that promise.

Fresh with the knowledge of this “business 101” principle, I told my Fiancee that her promise to marry me was binding AND that since she hadn’t given me anything in exchange for my promise to marry her, I was not legally bound to do so.

Funny, I thought. Not funny, she thought — I think I slept on the couch for a solid week.

This kid learned the lesson earlier, I hope.

Add Your Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here

Comment Options:

Make this the or (get credits or sign in to see balance) what's this?

What's this?

Techdirt community members with Techdirt Credits can spotlight a comment as either the "First Word" or "Last Word" on a particular comment thread. Credits can be purchased at the Techdirt Insider Shop »

Follow Techdirt

Techdirt Daily Newsletter

Techdirt Deals
Techdirt Insider Discord
The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...
Loading...