To lie about his age for free admission?

[WaitForCake]

It's DS's 3rd birthday in a couple of weeks. I'm taking him to an attraction.

It's free for under 3s, but adult price at 3 upwards. Money is tight, but after a tough few months between lockdown and his DF moving out after our split, I want to do something nice for him.
As there is no inherent difference in what he'll get from the experience the day before his birthday and on the day of his birthday, WIBU to just buy him a 2 year old ticket?

I can't take him the day earlier due to work (I did consider this already).

YANBU - get the 2 year old ticket
YABU - pay the adult price for him

Of course it’s fine, do it and have a great day.

YANBU but make sure you don't tell him he is 3 or if you are going with another adult have them stand a bit back from the ticket office so he can't tell them it's his birthday and he is 3 lol

I wouldn’t personally do it, to me its essentially theft and no different to people who try before they buy on pic n mix etc, I’m also a terrible liar.

To those with the father christmas scenario, my son (5) knows he isn’t real as we have never done the whole Santa thing.

You would not have asked this question if you did not truly know the answer. Perhaps Mumsnet should have an Am I Being Honest topic. Theft, in this case obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, remains just as dishonest as it was before Covid struck. I am amazed that so many Mumsnetters think you are not being unreasonable when they are so keen to preach morality on so many other occasions.

I would do it, my parents bought us family tickets all the time, 2 adults 3 kids etc up to a few years ago in museums etc (I'm 31 now) 😂 luckily I'm short and young looking. Reminded me of when I was 4 ish, can't remember exactly but my mum said to pretend I was younger so I walked on the bus first and announced to the driver "I'm not 3, I'm 4!" Still can't lie now.

@CatWithKittens I think OP was just posting for opinions rather than answers.

Yes if it’s a Merlin venue as I took my DD there when she was 95cm and the teenager on the door adamantly insisted, whilst tilting the measurement stick, that she was over 1m which meant she had to pay the full price ticket and then she couldn’t go on any rides for 1m or over because (funnily enough) they all measured her to be too short. So on that basis, as my DD shouldn’t have paid and did you might as well take what should have been her free place. Can you tell I am still bitter about this?

If it’s anywhere else, especially if they are struggling to stay open following the pandemic, then I wouldn’t although if you really can’t afford the second ticket, I can understand why you would.

Go for it, have a great day 😀

I might feel bad if there was a sensible child ticket price but having to pay adult price for a 3 year old? Fuck that

MN is nuts sometimes. We should keep our beaks out when someone is cheating the benefits system but this is the crime of the century?

Just lie and don't even give it a second thought. I certainly wouldn't. I hope he has a lovely day.

Logic seems to be a rare attribute on MN these days.

Hmm, seems that honesty is a rare attribute on MN these days!
You know it’s the wrong thing to do or you wouldn’t be asking here For people to validate your lie. Why not just take him the day before his birthday - he won’t know the difference & you don’t have to lie?

@SunbathingDragon that sucks you should have complained.

Judging by the number ‘Buy an Adult ticket, get a Child ticket free’ offers, attractions are glad to get the price of a full paying adult from people.

I distinctly remember my mum lying about my age to get me into attractions when I was small! I remember being told to stand behind dad, or bend my knees to look smaller!

Everyone does it. Don't worry about it!

Tickets are just under £30. Going from £0 to £30 when he still can't access half of the things available due to his height is something I can't afford.

£30 felt reasonable as I obviously won't be able to wonder off and enjoy the 'adult' things myself either.

More practically why not ring up in advance and find out if they would let him in at the lower price as a birthday concession? If you explain you cannot come otherwise and that you cannot get there the day before you may be surprised by their generosity, especially if you say you did not want to pretend he is younger.

@dontdisturbmenow

And appalled to read the majority is happy to lie to get what they want. Makes you wonder what else people lie about without any qualms to pay less for something...

I wonder that too. Though in the way that I think the most common lie told on mn is that posters don't lie. They might not lie about this specific thing but I would bet my last pound those "oh I'd feel too guilty" would go on to lie about something the OP would not.

Too much self back patting goes on for me to believe it.

@CatWithKittens not sure it’s practical though, as you may get someone else working on the day who will have no idea whether OP secured advanced permission for the waiving of the fee.

I voted YABU because don't teach your children to lie. There's a very good chance he'll out you anyway and then what? Do you tell him off for telling the truth? Do you lie to him like a previous poster suggested doing?

*prices for these things can be really high and I totally get why you're considering it. So I think you should go with your gut instinct of what feels comfortable and acceptable for you.

Does that apply to Harrods and F&M as well?*

Yes, tbh. Stealing is equally wrong and I don't think anyone should do it. But I understand why people might. We all have our own moral compasses and justifications for why sometimes we'll bend or break rules. We need to use our own judgement and be prepared to accept the consequences if we're caught out - which presumably for OP would be entry refused/ejected from the park/having to pay for an extra ticket.

I would just pay. But that's a moral standpoint, I think the actual consequences of this particular scenario are negligible (unless the child has to lie, which is a different question). So I also wouldn't judge.

Go ahead , I defy anyone to say they’ve never done the same kind of thing , enjoy your day 😊

YANBU

You're not lying as he won't officially be 3 until 4pm. And the park would prefer some money than none from you...

@safariboot

I voted YABU because don't teach your children to lie. There's a very good chance he'll out you anyway and then what? Do you tell him off for telling the truth? Do you lie to him like a previous poster suggested doing?

I'm not really sure why he would out me, tbh. He doesn't tend to go round shouting his age out to anyone and everyone.

As the tickets are bought online and he is small, I can't see that they are really going to stop us at the gates when scanning the tickets to quiz me about his age.

If he was born in the pm take him in the morning, as he’s still 2. Job done!

What @WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll said.

As for this:

It is a tricky one and I’m on the fence. Accepting so many peoples financial situations are tricky

Nonsense. Do you think that it’s ok to steal and be deceitful because you think that your own financial situation is ‘a bit tricky’? That businesses owe you freebies because you can’t afford to buy what they are offering? A day out at a theme park isn’t essential. A desperate person whose benefits have been sanctioned stealing baby milk from Asda I might understand, but lying and stealing to get a free day out? No chance.

As for the OP’s “but at least they will get my admission fee” argument, which she’s clinging to, do you think that the park should allow only one person in a group of 20 to pay, with the other 19 getting in free, because at least they will get one admission fee and it’s better than nothing?

I’ve seen the same pathetic argument deployed in one of those ‘all you can eat’ restaurants: four people came in (students, not that it’s relevant). One paid, the other three said that they weren’t hungry and would just drink tap water and sit at the table with the person eating. Predictably, the one who paid picked up four forks and they all dug in, with the payer making multiple trips to reload the plate.

When challenged by the staff, they protested that the food had already been prepared anyway, that it didn’t matter who did the actual eating, and that the restaurant should be glad that they got one paying customer because it was better than nothing. It cut no ice with the restaurant, and nor should it.

You’re not the first and you won’t be the last

My sister slipped up with this too.

Took her dd to a park for her birthday, I can’t remember what age. Only she had placed a badge with the age on her dd.

Staff member was

She ended up paying full price