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

Only once. One of my DC has a growth condition that means they are abnormally small. We went somewhere with height restricted rides, where kids under a certain age were free (on the basis they would have been too short for almost every ride). I said DC was free ticket age as no way was i going to pay full price for them to be refused on to every ride on height grounds.

Its the only time ive ever done it.

At Disney World Florida, I took my son’s passport as he was due to turn 3 in the December and I knew that they would question it despite him being ‘free’ as he was tall and very chatty. Glad I did, as they asked for his DOB and when I gave it verbally they didn’t believe me, so I handed over his passport. They were very apologetic but I imagine a lot of people do that to avoid the child Disney ticket price.

Law.

Realistically no one would ever find out but I’m not going to tempt fate, given that deliberately not paying for a train ticket can get you struck off.

Why is it any different to going to Tesco and getting 10 items of shopping and only paying for 8? I mean, the shop is still benefitted from having you there. Then there is money spent on the extra things you spot when you're walking round that you hadn't intended to buy.

What? Pizza Express isn’t germy? And anyone who signs up to their membership scheme can get various things for free (t&c apply etc 😂)

Maybe you’re thinking of Pizza Hut. Now that is a bit germy…

I have 3 (young) DC, ive honestly never done this and don't expect I ever will.

Yep all the time. DS (5) is tiny so he's always 4 when it saves money.

No because it's fraud. And all the people who take more than they are entitled to make things more expensive for everyone else

Nope. Though it would never have done me much good, as when ds was that sort of age he was always one of the tallest kids (not so much now as an adult). I’m not going to say I never lie in front of him, as I’ve told some social/white lies or omissions. I’ve always told him what I’m going to say and why in those cases. I’m certainly not going to lie for financial reasons though.

Never could lie about age - dc was so tall at 3 years and 1 month the bus driver asked if they were still 4…
so whilst I might have been tempted I’d never have got away with it, I wasn’t tempted though because it’s not right

I often ask for a child’s portion of fish and chips, as I can’t eat a huge one. I’m 60, so I think they know I’m not really a child 😁.

I wouldn’t outright lie but if they assume my child is in the free/cheaper age bracket I wouldn’t say anything. For example, at the swimming pool the other day the cashier rang up just the adult price and not adult + child. If she’d asked me though, I’d have said the correct age.

Yep. Always have and always would. I see it as a little bit of recompence for all the times over been ripped off, scammed and short changed.

Because tesco dont give out free food. If business' give out free child places and you lie about age to benefit from that, that's not the same as stealing food that wasn't on offer for free

I don’t.

but I have been in situations where they just don’t ask.

For example I’m with a group of kids, usually ready to show ID, but they let them all in anyway (but this is for low risk activities like those free clubs that say for ages 6-10 - but they will let an 11 year old in for numbers).

Usually I speak to the organiser beforehand.

Generally I assume the age is there for a reason.

Now that my DD is a teen, when she was younger we would make the most of the kids eat free during half term deals, although some of the menus were rubbish so she would end up with an adult meal anyway. So when we see the signs one of us joke “haha bet you can get away with being 12 again”

But we don’t actually do it. She is such a goodie that she would feel bad.

However if I could fit into kids clothes. I think I would save a few pounds by buying age 15 basics. But sadly I can’t.

Nope. But I’ve lied easily about my own age for many years, especially to chuggers asking for money and saying it would be up to my Mum. Less than 5ft and babyfaced. About to turn 37 and alternative. Still getting asked for ID to buy ibuprofen 😂
The only downside is that no one thinks I’m the mother of my own child. They assume I’m her sister, which has pissed me off endlessly over the years. She’s 14!

god yes - saved loads on entrance fees for my 4 DCs and 3SDCs
Now with the 4 GDCs

Unashamedly doing so here wherever I can catch a break /discount

No of course not

No, although we took dc1 to legoland for his birthday treat the day before he turned 3.

I’ve never done this , to me it’s akin to shop lifting or not paying for a train ticket and I wouldn’t do those things either .

no... but I've done it the other way around.

My son is very tall, he would often qualify for a size requirement for an activity, but not the "age" requirement.

Obviously, I wouldn't do this on anything too dangerous, but there have been some simple waterslide type things, where it says 120cm/4y+ where I have just whispered to him (don't mention your age). No one ever checked because he was as tall as/taller than the 5-6 year olds in the queue.

Maybe I'm an awful liar setting a bad example for some people on here...

No a 4 year old did not say that.

Just be careful, kids will correct you. I speak from experience. I was very small as a kid, I was 5 at the time, and my parents lied to get me in free for swimming at the local pool (I think the paying age was 5, from memory) and mum and dad said I was 4. I was right beside them and say NO I AM 5!!! Cue them going 'oh, that's right, I forgot you not long had a birthday', something like that. As kids you always want to be a 'bigger girl' and the worst thing is people thinking you are not as old as you are. So... that was the end of that! They had to pay for me.

If you do it, do it out of the earshot of the child.

Isn't some of the issues down to different places having different rules for what age a child is?
I get that places want to make money but soft play charging for a 6 month old who isn't really joining in is quite different to lying about the age of a 3/4 year old who can. I am sure my local soft play never charged for under 1s when mine were small, nor parents either, but have seen that they do now charge for over 6 months despite not having anything new for babies and they also now add on £1 for each adult.

Also family tickets can be confusing. We had this issue on holiday. Both my kids are still in primary school and here that would be part of a family ticket for every attraction I know. It was only after booking I saw that a family ticket was for 2 adults and 2 children under 10.
I think though with family tickets now due to discrimination most companies want to help families get the best deal - my DH took our son out with his dad and they got a family ticket as that was due to the staff member telling them it was cheaper than one adult, one child and one OAP ticket.

And yes I will buy my children kids meals as again while some places suggest these are for children under 10, just because my child is now 10 doesn't mean their appetite has suddenly increased drastically.

Was this a while ago? Legoland charges a ticket based on height, not age, which i think is fairer. We’re going today.