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?

@happyandiknowit988

i do this and it really annoys my DP too 😂 i genuinely don’t know why i can’t get out the habit, my birthdays in december so from February onwards I’m a year older!

Do you have children and do you do it to them to?

Ages and birthdays are a big thing when you're little. It's like you're not letting them enjoy being 4. Turning 5 won't be so exciting for them because you've already been saying they're 5 for months. Weird.

I always say 4 for first 6-ish months, then 4.5 until about 3 months before their birthdays when they’ll be 5 in X or almost 5.

@NameChange84

Oh, I recognise your name now.

You are the pushy sports mum who gets your children to hold out their hands so you can slap them and shuts the gate on them at the ice rink with the attitude that they can “Skate or Freeze”.

It all makes sense now. I feel really sorry for your children. You sound controlling, abusive and like you don’t see them as individuals.

This thread was bizarre even before this information. This just makes it a lot worse.

If I told people my DS was 6 he would immediately correct me with ‘No Mummy I am 5!’. Even though he’s going to be 6 fairly soon. He is 5 until then.

Your husband is right people will have different expectations as they could be nearly six and lots of people would still just say they are five, so people will expect behaviour of a child a year older. We get it a bit with DH as he's tall, never had a real baby face and has lots of hair, so people don't expect him to only be 19 months

DS not DH!

This is really odd. My daughter turns 6 next month so if anyone asks I say she's 5 or nearly 6.

Please tell us about the other crazy things you do

Just say they're 4

Lol, it's pretty much unanimous. Can I just clear up that I don't tell them they're five. They know full well that they are four. It's just in my head that they're five, and when random people ask (happens a lot because they've identical twins and therefore a side show attraction when out in public), I typically without thinking reply that they're five.

It’s just really odd and something you should stop

My mother does this. It drives me crazy. She regularly tells me I'm forty. I'm thirty fucking six!!! Your twins are 4. They are not 5. I'm with your Dh.

Can I just clear up that I don't tell them they're five. They know full well that they are four.

I dont see how you can be confident that they know they are 4 when you often tell people they are 5 in front of them.

But you do it with your older child too. It's weird. Stop it.

Don't your twins hear you when you're talking to these random people? Or do you only discuss their ages when they're out of earshot?

Skate or Freeze? Really?

I think it is rather a silly thing to do and there is no reason for it. November is hardly next month. When it is October you can say they are almost five but quite ridiculous to do it now. They're not even four and three quarters!

I get the twins attracting attention bit - my stepdaughters are twins. DH used to reply to nosy strangers who asked their age ‘oh, the same as each other’ which generally shut them up.

It’s pretty disrespectful for you to lump them in with another of your children’s birthday like that. They are 4.

YABU

Just say, "they'll be five in November."

If entry to an activity was cheaper for 1-4year olds and the cost went up when a child was 5, how old would you say your children are then?

Weird and also weirdly unpleasant that it feels like you can't be bothered to think about your kids are individuals and just categorise them based on your eldest

But I don't understand why they are five in your head. You know they are four - you gave birth to them!!

It's incorrect and unnecessary - and I can see why your H is frustrated, because it does make a difference with expectations for age-appropriate behaviour and skills etc.

When someone asks you what time it is, do you tell them it's 1pm rather than 12.20?

My mum used to do this and I hated it. It started like you and then as I got older turned into a way to make me not good enough - 'for goodness sake you're 13!' Erm no, I'm 12.

Stop it. It's really annoying and weird.