How unreasonable would it be to lie about my son’s age so he can join our gym?

[WinoLino]

He’s 14. Getting into things he shouldn’t be getting into a bit. I think the gym would be a great distraction. Me, his dad and his 18 year old sister all go to the gym. It’s aged 16 and up though. I’m a rule follower at all times so I’m not saying we will do it. However, how unreasonable would it be if we were to say he is 16? Is it even possible, thinking they might want to see ID.

He will train only with us and his dad really knows what he’s doing (has spent his whole life training in the gym) so the risk of injury is lessened but of course it’s there nonetheless. Am I not thinking straight?

No worries! I was mainly reacting to them because i didn't like being told what to do 😂 i hope you sort things with your son.

Anyone can reply to (dis)agree with your post!

💯

OP, he needs good role models, not encouragement to break the rules when it suits him

How far away is the other gym he could join? That would be my first option. Perhaps they do PAYG and you could try it a few times to see how it goes

What about parkrun?

Or a virtual run / walk eg end-to-end.co.uk?

Or voluntary work?

I’d go for it. What harm can it do? People saying it would invalidate the gym’s insurance…what does that even mean?! If he got injured in the gym, it’s extremely unlikely it would be serious, if he drops a barbell on his toe and breaks it, why would any type of insurance claim need to be made for this? Unless the family were planning to sue the gym - which would be a pretty stupid idea if they’ve lied about his age

Rules are made for the general population, they don’t take individual circumstances into consideration. They’re also often made by people who think very differently to how others might think. This is why I live my life pretty much exactly as you describe- “rules don’t matter if you don’t think they should apply or it’s not convenient to abide by them”. Why would I follow a rule that doesn’t make any sense? As long as I’m not hurting or majorly inconveniencing anyone, I choose which rules I want to follow and I teach my dc the same.

Ask anyone who had an accident if they expected to have one

please don’t pass this attitude onto your child

Sometimes rules are there for very good reasons. And it's not setting a good example to show your son it's ok to lie.

Could you look into martial arts class or something along those lines rather then the gym?

Because you're oh so special I guess.
All the stupid un-special people following the rules so that (mostly) society rubs along. What fools!