Be honest, do you lie about your children's age to save money?

[TheCatSitterDM]

I'm fully expected to get roasted and called all sorts of names but who here tells little white lies about their children's age to save money?

My DS was quite short, so I got away with him being 4 (and therefore free) on the bus until he was nearly 7 and it became obvious he was older after a growth spirt.

And this half term, I said my DD was 3 (not 4) to save money on her admission to swimming.

YABU - You're alway honest about your children's age
YANBU - You tell the occasion fib to save some £ here and there

I'm with you, OP. We even had one of ours hide under a blanket once to get a reduced entry into a safari park 😂
DD20 still looks young enough to qualify for free meals at Travelodge-type hotels. And I book her a child's ticket for the theatre. The staff on minimum wage at these venues really don't give a toss and are never going to check.

My baby will be 15 years old for a few more years yet!

No, because I have a job where any kind of dishonesty can be career-ending and so I’m ultra-careful.

I’d also be concerned about insurance in some situations. For example, the soft play near us has a zip wire that kids have to be six to use. DD could easily pass for six but if she had an accident I’d be concerned about her being covered.

Blimey, people are so ridiculously pious and aggressive on mumsnet. It’s obviously not comparable to shoplifting. I would wager that most people have done this. My local softplay charges £3 for under 2’s and £9 for over 2’s (for the same equipment - no dedicated baby area etc). You better believe she was “nearly 2” for a good while! 😂

I did with older DD, but not until she was 7! She was quite little so used to say she was under 2 to avoid paying to get in to places until she was 2.5
Older DD was really tall though so just didn’t have the nerve

Yeah my middle one is teeny tiny and I was getting her into under fives go free when she was eight or so. And I remember putting her in a buggy age 6 and saying she was 3!

My friend’s daughter did that. 🤣 My friend was so embarrassed.

What are these jobs that sack people who say their kid is 2 instead of 3? How would anyone at work find out anyway?!

I'm a teacher and think the Teaching Regulation Agency have more important issues to deal with than what fee someone paid for at Wacky Warehouse.

😂

Yeah - my lads are hairy and over 6 ft now. Probably wouldn't work 😄

I used to do this when my children were small - and none of them have grown up to be criminals.

Did it occasionally when dd was little but never more than a year over iyswim. Pretty much everyone I know in rl does this, it’s only on mn that I’ve seen people get sanctimonious about it 🤷‍♀️

Yes when we went to Florida I squeezed my 5yr old into a buggy to get him in free - under 3yr olds were free 😂
No one said anything

I don't think I ever did this with my son or myself when as a young 20 something adult I got charged admission to the local leisure centre as an under 13, I spoke out.
However, my 30 something daughter, is developmentally under 3 months, dual sensory impaired, tube fed, o2 etc.. And the size of an 8 year old, she has been 12 for over 20 years now, I begrudge paying adult prices at places when she's there, in her chair, not able to participate in anything, and just part of our family. A lot of places start charging from age 2, she will never reach that stage of development. No one ever queries it, but we've had many medical emergencies whilst out and about and I tell the truth about her age for the record and that I've paid child fare, it's always shrugged off, but I know, this is Mumsnet and I'm the lowest of the low 😁

My understanding of a little white lie is something like telling someone the dress they love looks lovely on them when it doesnt - ie telling a fib to be kind.

I dont think lying about kids ages to get a cheaper price counts. Its just lying.

We dont do it. I dont want that to be the example we set to our child. We can either afford something or we can't.

I lie about my own age to get out of shit and save money all the time. Why wouldn’t I lie about my childrens ages

I got away with a half fair for longer than I should have myself (not with my parents) but not with my child. I didn't think of it as stealing at the time, I wasn't taking up any more space, still in full time education etc and I never outright lied about my age (I did ask for the half fair but was never challenged). I can see now it was still dishonest!

Even if I was still so inclined, they were asking how old my son was when he was young enough anyway. I certainly wasn't going to start lying in front of him or encouraging him to (or ask him to stay quiet).

I agree with this. I also view it as stealing. If you don't think something is worth the price then by all means don't go. It's like when I go into a shop and like something that I deem to be overpriced. I don't try to lie and decieve to lower the price. I move on and don't buy it. Why would I treat a business that happens to sell an experience as opposed to an object any differently?

I have a 5 year old and it means i just don’t take him on a bus unless i absolutely have to. Same price as before for me to drive and park.

My 2 year old is tiny so yeah i might lie tbh. Both my kids were very late walkers due to health issues and i was still charged for soft plays etc once they turned 1 even though they couldn’t do much.

I've done it the opposite way. "yes of course he's 15 and old enough tto watch this movie".

"Yes, he's 16 and therefore is allowed to swim without parental supervision at your ridiculously strict place where parents have to be in the pooll with under 16s even though they are extremely competent swimmers"

Now for the MN outrage.... on a family hoiday, DS and his cousin, both almost 16 but not quite were "officially" 16 when we ordered them a beer with dinner.

I never have. It’s a bit crappy tbh.

You are very proud of lying and cheating aren't you?

My mum was married and was still getting a child ticket on the train until she was in her mid twenties. She was very short and people often thought she was my sister or I was her mum 😀

I have done a couple of times if free for under 3 or something and ds was 4 but not since.Ds is 12 now.

My aunt once got me a child’s ticket to get into York minster. I was 24 at the time. None of us realised what she’d done until we were inside and it dawned on her that while my cousin was still very much a child, I was not. It did make us all laugh! Especially as the guy on the desk hadn’t questioned it - how young did I look??

Nope, because I'm fairly certain they would correct me.
My children actually did with their grandparents when my dad tried to claim my youngest was older to get him on a ride 🤦‍♀️ my eldest corrected my dad with the correct age. The guy apparently then asked the youngest how old he was... who proudly told him he was 5. He's 2 🤣

I booked a family room for 2 adults and a "child" last year for me and my mum and sister - no one even noticed as I just checked us in and they met me there.

So quick, someone better call the police on me!

I would and have of course lied about the kids' ages at attractions - most people in the real world have 🙄 only on MN is everyone constantly on their high horse