Parent contact is vital?

A parent emailed me about the due date that their child has for a paper.

Truth be told, the paper was due last week, but who's counting? I've found in my teaching career, time is all relative, buddy. The concept of so-called "deadlines" and "due dates" is foreign to students and parents alike and, as I've found, don't really apply to them. Sometimes it feels as if I work in the billing department or something. A quick call to someone in the district office with a sob story gets you an extension (or credit, or whatever). Nevertheless, a parent emailed me today and asked me, "What date was this paper actually assigned?" Man, you've got to love that passive aggressive behavior. Wouldn't it be refreshing if they just said, "You didn't give my kid enough time!" up front? Are they worried that I'm pushing my students too hard? Right, like two weeks is not enough time to write a two page paper.

My question for the parent is, why doesn't the student know the date it was assigned?

I know, I know. I'm just being grumpy, right? But, I can't wait for the day when a parent emails me and asks, "What date did my child actually start being a slacker?"

My guess is some point in 2000, give or take a year.

Trust me, later tonight I'm emailing my creditors and asking them, "What date was this bill actually mailed out and picked up by the postal service?"