To tell people that my twins are five?

[lukasiak]

Even though they technically don't turn five until November?

Dh is in a right hump about it. He thinks by me telling everybody that they are already five that it makes people place age inappropriate expectations on them. I think it's all just semantics, and those who actually need to know their real age know it. It's a bad habit I picked up from my mother, and my older children have survived me rounding their age up once their birthdays drew close with out being labelled as having additional needs, as seems to be DH's primary concern.

Is it really that big of a deal?

Good luck explaining to the bouncer outside a nightclub that “but my brother’s had his birthday so I’m 18 already as far as my mum is concerned.”

Or given that she’s so weirdly obsessed with forcing her children to become ice skaters, to the Olympic committee for the 2030 Olympics.

“Madam, your twins can not compete. They are 14. They needed to have turned 15 by July 2029. They need to wait another four years.”

“NO. You are wrong! They are 15!”

“Madam, you can’t lie, we have seen their birth certificates. They are 14 years old.”

“NO. I’m not lying because IN MY HEAD they are 15 and I am DETERMINED ONE OF THEM WILL BE A FIGURE SKATER!!!!!!!!”

OP are you high?

Op, are you from one of these countries uses/used this age counting system?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian_age_reckoning
But then, I think it's old fashioned even in most of those countries, and not commonly used as wiki says.

Just give their age in months

My twins turn 5 in November until then they are 4.

I've read stranger things - but not many. Very, very odd.

My dog is 4 but I tell people he's 89.
I don't actually do that because it would be a very strange thing to do.

I'm not lying; to me they are 5

Splendid. To me, tomorrow is Christmas. I expect a day off work, champagne and chocolate for breakfast, and presents from my loved ones.

This thread may win today's award for "most bonkers."

@rvby

It just seems bizarrely dismissive of your children. Its such a simple thing, why wouldn't you just acknowledge their ages? Do you also call them by different names to what you named them??

A child's name, gender and age are the three key things folk use to create an impression of then as individuals. Incredibly strange to just erase one of those three things on a whim.

I agree with @rvby.

@lukasiak I think you’ve misunderstood what age is?? When we say someone is 4, we mean they turned four in their last birthday and have been around for up to 364 days more. It’s shorthand for 4+. There’s no need to say how far past four they’ve gone and people understand that they haven’t got to 5 yet.

I tend to round up too. Including myself which is very odd!

This is utterly bizarre.

Are you desperate for your children to grow up, op? There's something almost pathological in constantly putting years onto children ages.
It's not a harmless quirk at all, actually.

(I don’t do it on purpose btw!)

It’s surprising how many people do this with their own age. I take statements at work and when I ask age they will say “38” so I write that down.

Then they say “oh, well I will be 38 in September”. So I have to score 38 out.

Most parents round their children’s ages down not up.

Do your twins not correct you?! Every single kid I have ever known is ultra specific abo it their age (e.g. “Emma is three and a half” “No, I’m three and seven months, actually!!”). When you tell others that DTs are five what do they say - do they also think they’re five??

*about their age

I’m with DH.
They are 4.
Or 4 &1/2 if you feel unable to say 4, but they are not 5.

Unless you're Chinese, YABU. They count 1 as the first year of age, i.e. from birth to the 364th day. Though traditionally it would have rolled over to 2 at the next new year, even if that was the next day, so they could be 1 day old and be called 2 years old.

We don't do that here. Your children are 4 (i.e. they have lived for 4 whole years, plus a bit). It is fine to call them 4 and a half at this point though, and in a couple of months, change that to almost 5.

Bizarre! They are 4. Wtf OP.

Yup. My DH used to round up once DC were last a half. Drove me mad such an odd thing to do.

Do you tell people you're 37 once it's within a few months of your 37th birthday?

Just read all your posts OP 😂 Mad.

I suppose technically they are 5 if you go from date of egg fertilisation.

This is all just batshit

Five year olds pay to get in to a lot of things so it's cutting off your nose to spite your face to identify your four year olds as five.