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If your child received an award with their name spelled wrong...


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...would you ask for a new one?

 

My son was given several awards at the science fair and his last name is spelled wrong on all 3 of them. I don't want to come across as a complainer, but I would like them to have his name spelled correctly.

 

What do you think?

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For an award, or something that was a really big deal to the kid, I probably would ask for a new one. Otoh, DD participated in a five-week embryology class in the fall, and a couple of months later, we received a certificate of completion for it, with her first name spelled incorrectly. I thought by that point that it was probably a little late to ask for a new one, and it wasn't that big of a deal (not going to display the certificate, for instance, but it will go in our portfolio). But for an award, yes. My first name has two common spellings, so it was often spelled wrong on things; for awards, it did bother me a bit, even as a teen, when it was wrong.

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If the kid was upset about it, yes. Especially if it was a matter of just printing off a new copy.

 

DS got a certificate in Cub Scouts recently with his name spelled wrong. He's not upset, so we didn't worry about it.

 

If it were something like a metal or trophy, especially one for an actual award and not just participation, I'm not sure what I'd do. On one hand, that would likely be a bigger deal to the kid. On the other, correcting the mistake is likely to be more difficult and costly.

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The organization has a responsibility to see that the names are spelled properly. Mistakes are their responsibility to correct.

 

I don't understand how these mistakes happen. I mean, things are generally written/typed several times...is proofing really that difficult? It strikes me as careless and lazy.

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The organization has a responsibility to see that the names are spelled properly. Mistakes are their responsibility to correct.

 

I don't understand how these mistakes happen. I mean, things are generally written/typed several times...is proofing really that difficult? It strikes me as careless and lazy.

 

Me too. It is always such a disappointment when it happens. Like the award isn't really theirs or isn't a recognition, kwim?

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If the kid was upset about it, yes. Especially if it was a matter of just printing off a new copy.

 

:iagree: My ds got one of his drawings in Dig magazine and I guess he printed his name poorly because they spelled it wrong. If any of you get Dig magazine, my ds is "Zelse" :D Perhaps we could have asked them to print a correction, but we just tried to show him the humor in it. We still call him Zelse once in a while.

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I'm the only one.

It wouldn't bother me in the least, and it wouldn't bother any of my dc either. We have a last name that is often spelled incorrectly, and often pronounced incorrectly. What matters at the time (at least to my dc) is the achievement, not necessarily the recognition. If the recognition is important, it's the fact that people wanted to recognize them, and not that it's spelled correctly. It feels a bit like the saying, "It's the thought that counts".

 

Also, most awards/certificates received by children are...well...not something that will hang on the wall forever. By the time the kids are adults, they no longer hang childish awards on the wall, and the spelling won't matter.

 

I guess I can understand other people's perspective on this, but I know my dc would roll their eyes if I insisted that a simple spelling error be corrected, or if I even spent one moment wondering whether it should be.

 

Certainly, if it does bother you or if your dc is particularly sensitive, you could probably get a corrected copy of the certificate.

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Sure, I would ask for a new certificate (and I have done so, often). Our last name is easily misspelled. I have let it slide on some things (those certificates they get at Lowe's building workshops, for example), but other things that represent a significant achievement are more important to them and I think their names should at least be spelled correctly.

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...would you ask for a new one?

 

If it bothered the child, then yes I would. In fact, this just happened to us. Dd's name is spelled with a F, but the more common spelling here in the US is with PH. Her name was spelled with PH on the award. It bothered her a LOT because it happened when she received the award last year too. I went into the office and explained the situation. They'll reprint it. No big deal.

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Thanks for the input! I think I will ask for new ones. Honestly, he doesn't care in the least, but he's 6. :D They will go in his year end keepsake book though and it does bother me. They are certificates, but they have several signatures on them and are written with calligraphy so it's more than just a matter of reprinting from a computer.

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We often have our last name misspelled and honestly sometimes it's MY fault -- my writing of the name was not clear. If there's any way to see if it was the fault of unclear printing (on the registration form or something like that), I'd offer to pay for the re-dos. If it was a typographical error on the part of the organization, sure ask them to re-do.

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...would you ask for a new one?

 

My son was given several awards at the science fair and his last name is spelled wrong on all 3 of them. I don't want to come across as a complainer, but I would like them to have his name spelled correctly.

 

What do you think?

 

YES! My son's name is Xander. We are always getting stuff spelled "Zander" and even "Sander" and it drives him and us nuts. I would politely correct and ask for a replacement.

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I have dealt with this all my life, with both of my last names and my real first name, and it has always been family policy to laugh about it and not worry about it. My children's names are often spelled incorrectly and I'd never bother asking someone to fix it.

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Unless it were something like a high school transcript or a birth certificate which you need to official reasons, I don't worry about it. What's important to us is the actual achievement.

:iagree:If its not an official document then I'd just laugh & encourage him to do the same.

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Our name is an 's' away from a very common name. We've become used to misspellings. If it really bothers the kids I'll complain and get whatever redone, otherwise... this is our lot in life, they may as well get used to it now.

 

Irl, for clubs/communities where our name is mispelled/spoken I pluralize other people's names. It helps them remember. They are not a Smiths and I am not a ------s. :lol: Sometimes it's worth the struggle.

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