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

A while back I took DD for a haircut she was 12 at the time, nearly 13 we went one salon and the woman was super rude and said she must be at least 15, she was quite upset. She doesn't dress in a sophisticated way or anything

Oh that must have been rough for you. Thankfully neither of my children are worriers, in fact both are a little too laid back for their own good sometimes.
I would never expect them to lie for me, if they were asked how old they were I can't imagine either would answer, just look to me to answer for them as they do any time a stranger talks to them.
My DS will be 11 this year and he still looked to me to answer for him when the GP asked his d.o.b (which obviously he knows). But he's a chatty kid at school & clubs when he gets to know the adults so I suppose he's just a little shy rather than anxious

All those saying that they never have and that it’s theft, did you never lie about your age when you were younger, to buy alcohol or fags, or to sneak into a pub or movie? Or to rent a video?

People always act holier than thou on mumsnet, but in real life most people have lied occasionally.

To answer the op I’ve done it once when my ds was just over the age for the cheap entry, but tbh he was always tall for his age so I couldn’t get away with it.

I probably could have got away with it with ds2 but it hasn’t really come up.

We’ve ordered from the kids menu a few times with ds1 when he was 13 and the menu was for age 12 and under, but no one asked. He got too embarrassed to order from the kids menu shortly afterwards.

My friend and I got thrown off the bus in the middle of nowhere when we were 14 because we’d paid child fare and the driver didn’t believe we were under 16. This was pre mobile phone days and our parents were worried sick.

No. I don't recall ever having the opportunity to do it out of their ear shot, so I'd have had to get them to collude with the lie. Would have been very difficult then to teach them lying was wrong.

That is a huge saving on those Disney tickets, I wouldn't have dared to risk with my gigantic DC. DS was under 3 when we went to Florida but we were challenged on his age going into Disney in a pushchair. Recently we were challenged every morning when we went to breakfast at a Travelodge. At 14, he's entitled to "kids eat for £1", but at 6"5' he must pass as older (even though his brain is still very much that of a 14yo boy!).

I did this at port merion on my child’s 5th birthday. Free under 5, charge after that. I said he was 4 and he announced he was 5. Not until 7.30pm when he was born! - they let him in for free 😂 (yes still embarrassing though)

I haven’t ever lied about ages. I don’t like the idea of my children seeing me lie, normalising that behaviour and then having to hold the lie themselves if challenged

I can’t. My son got asked for ID yesterday when the shopping was going through at Lidl. I had dashed off to grab some more butter, son stayed with the shopping. The cashier rolled his eyes and as I walked back I heard him say “I know this is awkward but do you have any ID on you. I mean you look 16…”
I was purchasing some ibuprofen.
My son is 11.
My other son is stupidly tall for an 8 year old and looks about 10. So I have never been able to get away with them being younger than they are! It SUCKS!

I’ve done it a couple of times. on both occasions, I had an annual pass for the place bought when they were free which I wanted to use again but they’d had a birthday and the cost for them to attend was ridiculous.

Country park £26 for a 2 year old (free under 2). Annual pass was bought for me for his first birthday a few days after he turned 1. I used it once after he turned 2 before it expired. £26 to potter round a park and look at some goats for a couple of hours is clearly madness.

Museum, daughter visited as a free 4 year old, I paid for a day ticket which was valid for a year. We went back once after she was 5, it would have been £17 for her to go which I think is crazy for a 5 year old at a museum.

Also lied my 14 month old was under 12 months at a soft play once as he wasn’t yet walking so couldn’t do much.

i much prefer it when places base on height or ability (walking/not walking). At Legoland under 90cm are free cos they can’t do much. Entirely fair to charge once they’re 90cm as they can go on loads (though think it should be cheaper than say 1.1m as that’s when most rides are open to them).

I also think children’s meals are fair game as they are smaller portions, you pay less and get less.

No, never have and never will because I’m not a scruff.

Unfortunately, at 50, and 5ft 3" tall, I won't be getting cheap tickets, but I used to get child fare on the train to college sometimes.

I was 16 plus years old then... 😉

No because it is important to me that my children do not see me lying (plus it is fraud)

Yes I do whenever possible, because at many places at age 3 or 5, kids go from being free to the same price as e.g. a 17 year old. A 3 year old is not making the most of an experience in the same way as an older child, there's more risk you'll have to leave early, or they won't be able to able to participate in everything available. If pricing was stagger e.g. under 5, 5-8, etc that would feel more fair to me.

Never!

I lied a couple of times to get them on the bus for free a few years back.
😬😬😬

I know someone in similar circumstances who got an Access Card with the +1 symbol so the accompanying adult gets in most places for free. Just thought id let you know in case you hadn't come across the Access Card Scheme before 💐

Well that's not true is it. If it's a family of 4 or 5 people and one child pays a fiver less (or whatever) then the organisation is still benefitted from having the family there. Then there is money spent on treats/food/whatever, once the extortionate entry has been paid.

It's not great behaviour, but I'd be lying if I said I'd NEVER done this, although I haven't generally speaking, and it's certainly not akin to wondering into Tesco and outright stealing.

I really didn’t! Honesty was dinned into me from as early as I can remember! I was the most boring teenager.
But in the interests of precision, not being truthful about your age to gain access to something you aren’t old enough for is not the same as (admittedly very low-level) fraud.

I think it’s wrong. However, I’m a massive hypocrite.

My children have the piccolo menu at Pizza Express (it’s enough food for them and I get a free piccolo meal with my pizza express membership).

We always go through the “family gate” on the tube. I thought tube travel was free under 16. Apparently it’s not 🫣

I have never lied about their age to get in somewhere. That feels wrong and I am very keen not to teach my children to lie.

I am (like so many) weary of the cost of living though. Next time we are in London and I have to pay for (at least) one child to use the tube, on top of our train tickets to get to London I will feel just that bit more stressed because it all flipping adds up doesn’t it.

I don’t think Pizza Express give a hoot that my child who is “too old” orders from the piccolo though. No one has ever asked their age and when we arrive they always say “any children’s menus”? They wouldn’t ask that if we all looked way over the age limit?

Im all for saving money wherever I can. For example I rarely book cinema tickets online now because they add £2/£3 booking fee. We are also only going to the picturehouse now as children are £3! And “children” are 14 and under so all of mine qualify 🥳🥳🥳

My two were tall and if I had said they were younger than they were, they would have said no I am not! Wouldn’t have been worth the embarrassment.

My cousin did that on a holiday once in the hotel, he’d had a cold which affected his hearing and apparently the only thing he heard all week was his dad getting his age wrong (he had only had his birthday the week before, so his dad said his old age out of habit. At least that’s the official version, other extended family did joke about it having been an attempt to get money off. Jury’s still out on that one.)

All these lucky children getting free pizza express or free entry into soft play. Gourmet deals with germs .

My DS is tall so I’ve never lied about his age for a cheap ticket.
I did once lie at a Dungeon to get him in on a pre-booked ticket. (Hadn’t realised an age policy when booking)
At 4 (almost but not quite 5) DS marched confidently up to the desk and the guy on the door asks his age.
’I’m 4” he says proudly. The chap then says ‘Sorry, you have to be 5 to come in’.
By this point I’ve caught up, and heard the last part of this. “Is that right?” I ask, and he says ‘Yes, 5 for entry’”.
I replied “oh, he had his birthday last week and just forgot.
This guy looks at me, and I look at him -I know I’m lying, he knows I’m lying and I know he knows I’m lying.
’Ok, in you go then’ he says

You’ll be surprised to what they feel uncomfortable with but choose not to mention at the time for one reason or another. They’ll just remember in years to come.

The mental hoops some people are willing to jump through to excuse their dishonesty is staggering!

”Oh she doesn’t take up more room than a 4 yo/ oh he doesn’t eat that much really”

So what? If the cut off is age 5, then the business has worked out its model on that basis. And then everyone has 5 years worth of chance to take their kid for free. Prices will
go up if people are lying and that’s the harm.