Eight-year-old Grace wanted her favorite treat, cotton candy. So she asked her father, Connor Shram, if they could make some at home. Dad explained that cotton candy making at home is no easy feat — a cotton candy machine is needed to heat and liquefy sugar, then spin it into fluffy strands that resemble cotton. The machine adds flavors like blue raspberry, pink vanilla, and cherry as it spins the sugar onto a stick. The family did not own such a machine, but the plucky Grace was convinced she could figure out a way. First, she had to get her father to promise to let her try.
A Future Lawyer?
Grace began by telling her dad she needed him to sign a piece of paper that read, “This document certifies that Dad loves Grace with his whole heart.” The resourceful daughter then cut out his signature from the original piece of paper and taped it onto a new piece of paper that read, “This document certifies that Dad is agreeing to give Grace permission to make cotton candy now.”
The completed contract was presented to Dad, who told Grace that taping his signature onto such a document does not make it legal. Dad’s instincts were correct despite not being legally trained. The young would-be attorney made a mockery of The Restatement (3rd) of Contracts Statute of Frauds. A legally enforceable contract requires offer, acceptance, consideration (a promise for a promise), a lawful purpose, capacity (legal age, sound mind) and a meeting of the minds. Grace’s contract lacks several of these key elements, rendering it nothing more than a promise unenforceable in court. Having anticipated her father’s objection, Grace produced her younger sister, 6½ year-old Adeline, wearing little pieces of curled tape on her head to resemble a judge's wig. The judge pronounced the contract legal.
Hey, It Was Worth a Shot
Greatly amused by his daughters’ ingenious prank, Connor posted a video on TikTok detailing the girls’ nefarious plan. The video proved to be a sweet treat for millions of social media viewers. With such a high audience approval rating, Shram hopes his little girl isn't inspired to go full-time into the forgery business. However, she has been encouraging her friends at school to forge their parents’ signatures. So far, there have been no arrests for fraudulent contract drafting at young Grace’s elementary school.
But the wily Grace has an even bigger score in mind. Now that she has her father’s signature, she’s bragged that she is going to use it to obligate her father to increase the number of family members. Grace informed her father of her plan, telling him that she really wants another baby sister. Shram explained that it’s a little more complicated than that.
What “crimes” were committed by the two little girls?
- Forgery — creating, altering or possessing a fraudulent document with the intent to defraud,
- Identity theft
- Criminal impersonation of a judge
- Several others, depending on the jurisdiction.
Fortunately, there is a happy ending to this tale of juvenile misbehavior: The father chose not to prosecute the first-time offenders, the contract was honored, and everyone went out to enjoy the excesses of a cotton candy party.
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