Can you lie about the age of your child?

[robinb]

I really didn't care for the comment to mind my own business, if they want me to eat with them, it is my business. I don't care to have my children see them lie.

And I don't care for your holier-than-thou attitude. It's a good thing we're not going to WDW together .

 

[MrsPete]

I've never had a problem ordering a kids meal for my 13 DS at any restaurant. I don't think they can tell you no even if you're 50 years old and want to order off the kids menu....

The menus often read "12 and under" or something like that, but in reality the WAITER is the only one who knows who's sitting at that table. He knows that if he refuses to serve you what you want, his tip will be zilch. So, in reality, I think that if you ask nicely an adult will be able to get a kids' meal most of the time.

I think they CAN tell you no. A restaurant is a private business, and they can set their own policies; for example, some restaurants require men to wear jackets. It woudln't be good business to refuse to serve a child's meal to an adult, but they COULD say no.

 

[happygirl]

and people wonder why Disney has rasied there prices

 

[tazleiten12]

And I don't care for your holier-than-thou attitude. It's a good thing we're not going to WDW together .

I don't know how you can say I have a holier-than-thou attitude, just because i don't want to lie to save a few $$'S! I would never call myself holier-than-thou! I just would prefer not to teach my kids to lie. How can I expect them to tell the truth, if the adults they look up to cant even do it! I would hope this would teach my children some moral's, so that they could tell me and other's the truth. I definitely am not perfect, and make mistakes (to many some days ) But all i can do is try my best!

 

[Acklander]

Do you lie to the officer that pulls you over for speeding or going through the red light?

No - If he's pulled me over, I figure he already knows the answer, so I just suck it up and pay the fine.

Do you ever stretch the truth a little to fit your needs?

Sure - I once put a birthday button on my DS, and it wasn't his actual birthday. Disney put pixie dust on the table and brought him a cupcake. And as far as my actual weight, and the weight listed on my driver's license

Do you show up for work a little late but get paid for the whole time anyway-since noone noticed?

No, I'm a self employed workaholic. I notice when I'm not there, but give myself a little slack since I know I was probably there late the night before.

Have you ever taken a sick day, but really weren't physically sick?

No - see the above statement.

Ever drink alcohol before the age of 21?

Oh yeah

Noone is that perfect.

Exactly - the only concious I worry about is my own. Everyone makes their own choices and justifies them in their own way. No one owes me an explanation.

 

[DISUNC]

Many adults lie about their age! Why not get the kids involved?

I dont blame anybody for lying in these instances, We (they) are forced too...it is CRAZY to pay a adult fare for a 10 year old!

If McDonald's started charging 21.99 for a Happy Meal...Everyone would be outraged....so how come it's ok for Disney to do the same????

 

[dkrause716]

Personally, I think it is a matter of choice for the family if they wish to state their children's ages less than what the actualy ages are. I did this many years ago when taking the kids to movies or for admissions at other places. We chose not to go to Disney back then (read: couldn't really afford it).

I have come to a larger, more mature point of view now and avoid, is at all possible, lying about ages of kids or anything else for that matter. Yes, I am the guy who will go back in the store to pay for something that was not paid for, but that does not make me better or worse than the next guy. I cannot judge others.

I would not be critical of anyone who chose to save a couple of bucks by saying kids are younger than they actually are. God Bless them, it's their choice!

It is my uderstanding that Disney employees are not allowed to question (within reason) ages stated by parents.... for obvious reason, some parents will choose to state their ages as younger than they actually are.

I know of a family who states to their Auto insurance company that their teenage drivers are the primary driver of their respective automobiles. In their mind, it would be deceitful and fraudulent to tell the insurance agent that the vehicles will only be used "occasionally by their children." This costs them literally THOUSANDS OF ADDITIONAL DOLLARS of insurance premium! If they simple stated occasional use by the kids (which may be a stretch) they would save a substantial amount of insurance premium. Honestly, I don't think I could pay that much extra!

I actually remember when I was younger the agent suggesting to our family to keep me on as occasional use driver to keep the premium reasonable....

So, in a few years when my daughter is old enough to drive and it's entirely possible that I may have her on as only an occasional driver (after discussing it with my insurance agent), I hope that others will not judge me.... just as I do not judge others....

I am the proud owner of two teens--

First I have to say that our rule is if you drive you pay the insurance. No discussion on that one, it's a matter of responsibilty.

In Pennsylvania (other states are probably similar) you don't have a choice as to the status of teen drivers. If you have only two cars and three drivers your teen is an occasional driver. But as soon as the number of cars increases, so does the premium. You can't put a teen driver as occasional in a household with multiple vehicles.

Plus, if you found a way around this it would be insurance fraud (not judging anyone!) but I would be really afraid of that one.

Hope this helps!

 

[Acklander]

I am the proud owner of two teens--

First I have to say that our rule is if you drive you pay the insurance. No discussion on that one, it's a matter of responsibilty.

In Pennsylvania (other states are probably similar) you don't have a choice as to the status of teen drivers. If you have only two cars and three drivers your teen is an occasional driver. But as soon as the number of cars increases, so does the premium. You can't put a teen driver as occasional in a household with multiple vehicles.

Plus, if you found a way around this it would be insurance fraud (not judging anyone!) but I would be really afraid of that one.

Hope this helps!

Actually, you'd be better to pay the full insurance AND make sure one of the cars is in your teen's name. In our town (in MA) a teen was driving the family car and was in an accident. The other person was able to sue the parents (above and beyond what the insurance company paid out) because the car was in the dad's name. If the car had been in the teen's name, with his own seperate insurance policy it wouldn't have been an issue.

 

[SleepingUgly]

and people wonder why Disney has rasied there prices

I highly doubt that this is the main reason why Disney is raising its prices. More likely, it's because the executives need another Ferrari in their garage and their wives need more shopping trips to Paris to buy more Chanel handbags and Gucci alligator pumps. If dishonesty from customers were the real reason, they would not be increasing prices. Instead, they would be demanding birth certificates for all kids and IDs for parents. But, no. It's just another way to bring in more money and fill the already-bulging wallets of the high-level executives. You can bet CMs in the park won't be seeing any pay increases because of this new rule.

Linda

 

[beattyfamily]

I'm the original poster. I'm not judging anyone, or going to "tell" on them. I just didn't like what they are going to do. Lucky we are staying at 2 different resorts. We only have 2 meals planned with them, and i think i can get it down to 1! I really didn't care for the comment to mind my own business, if they want me to eat with them, it is my business. I don't care to have my children see them lie. Also if they got caught in the lie, i would be so embarrassed. My kids always tell their age, especially my son who announce's he is 7 1/2, and don't leave off that 1/2 (He finally just turned 8), and for some reason he feels the need to announce my age too, no matter how many times i tell him they don't need to know!
As for the new age limits, i hope they still let us order off the kids menu, as there is a few places my son wouldnt eat anything off the adult menu. I may have to change a few of the buffets as $26.99 for Chef Mickey Dinner, and $24.99 for Liberty Tree seem like way to much $!

Don't sweat it! You are NOT holier then thou. You have every right to come here and vent that a family you are traveling with will probably lie and probably lie in front of your kids at a meal. I'd be pretty annoyed and upset by it myself.

Don't let anyone here upset you or make you feel badly for how you feel about this issue. They are just trying to justify why they lie to make themselves feel better about it.

 

[robinb]

I don't know how you can say I have a holier-than-thou attitude, just because i don't want to lie to save a few $$'S! I would never call myself holier-than-thou! I just would prefer not to teach my kids to lie. How can I expect them to tell the truth, if the adults they look up to cant even do it! I would hope this would teach my children some moral's, so that they could tell me and other's the truth. I definitely am not perfect, and make mistakes (to many some days ) But all i can do is try my best!

I never said you should lie. Personally, I wouldn't lie. I didn't lie when my DD turned 3 and we had to pay big bucks for her annual pass or $11 for a Character Meal where she ate 3 bites of melon and half a pancake. Your holier-than-thou attitude comes in where you feel that you have to enfore your "moral's" on your friends and how their decisions become your business just because they are sharing a meal with you.

We all try our best with our kids. Sometimes my "best" isn't the same as your "best" and visa-versa. If your kids notice anything (and my guess is they won't), consider this a teaching moment and discuss it after dinner.

I certainly hope that you can get over your friend's decision by the time your trip starts, or the trip will be poisoned by resentment.

 

[meatballsmom]

Here we go again with everyone that is going to be holier than thou. Do you lie to the officer that pulls you over for speeding or going through the red light? Do you ever stretch the truth a little to fit your needs? Do you show up for work a little late but get paid for the whole time anyway-since noone noticed? Have you ever taken a sick day, but really weren't physically sick? Ever drink alcohol before the age of 21? Noone is that perfect and those are just a few examples. Who cares who says what age their child is. I don't think it is just about price- it is more of an issue of what is the child actually eating. I have no problem with my child staying 9 a bit longer or any other if they need to. Paying $25 for a 10 year old to eat a hotdog or hamburger is ridiculous. Now if they eat the actual adult buffet and are a good eater then I would feel guilty. But I am not going to judge others- it is their business. Just go and have fun with your(in general) own family. Don't waste time worrying about who is getting away with something.

I agree with you. I went to Disney when my son was just turning 3. He was turning 3 right before we left for vacation. (and please no tomatoes here)!! I said he was under 3 but let me explain. He was still more like a 2 year old then a 3 year old. Didn't meet the height requirement for any of the major rides, and when I say he was a fussy eater, he was more of a no eater. I only ordered him his own meal maybe once or twice because he just wouldn't eat it. I would always give him some of mine. When we did the couple of shows (never did a buffet), he never ate anything there. As a matter of fact, he slept through both shows (hoop de doo and the luau). So did I feel guilty not paying for him??? A little. But I probably would do that again under those circumstances. Of course if he had been 3 for a while and also was of height requirement/good eater, yes I would have definately felt guilty about it.

 

[disneymom2one]

Many adults lie about their age! Why not get the kids involved?

I dont blame anybody for lying in these instances, We (they) are forced too...it is CRAZY to pay a adult fare for a 10 year old!

If McDonald's started charging 21.99 for a Happy Meal...Everyone would be outraged....so how come it's ok for Disney to do the same????

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Because price is subjective. I'm in this exact situation. I have one and only one child who turns 10 all of three days before our next trip. Sometimes she eats a lot and sometimes she eats about three bites. Since we've always emphasized "listening to your body" and "only eat if you're hungry" she may eat nothing at a $25 meal and then be hungry two hours later. We can't (and won't) urge her to eat if she's not hungry, no matter what the price of the meal.

So what will we do? Probably eat at a few less fixed priced places but other than that we'll pay for the meal. Lying isn't an option. I teach my child by example.

BTW, I'll also be paying adult prices for her PAP - for a kid rides about five rides in the MK and one, maybe two in the other parks. But this is a free market economy and Disney has the right to charge whatever they choose.

 

[katebeth]

I am afraid that people(CM's mainly) will think that I am lying when I tell them that my youngest daughter is 2. She is [B]way[/B] off the charts with her height(she is soooo tall) and she won't be 3 until April. We are going to Disney the first week of September and I am thinking about taking something that proves that she really is two. I don't want anyone to think that I am lying about her age. I would not do that.

 

[katebeth]

I am afraid that people(CM's mainly) will think that I am lying when I tell them that my youngest daughter is 2. She is U]]way[/U][ off the charts with her height(she is soooo tall) and she won't be 3 until April. We are going to Disney the first week of September and I am thinking about taking something that proves that she really is two. I don't want anyone to think that I am lying about her age. I would not do that.

 

[katebeth]

Oh sorry about the double post

 

[robinb]

I am afraid that people(CM's mainly) will think that I am lying when I tell them that my youngest daughter is 2. She is U]]way[/U][ off the charts with her height(she is soooo tall) and she won't be 3 until April. We are going to Disney the first week of September and I am thinking about taking something that proves that she really is two. I don't want anyone to think that I am lying about her age. I would not do that.

I think you'll be fine, but you can take a copy of her birth certificate if you think you might be questioned. There were many times when my 3 year old was just waved in through the gates when she was in her stroller. I insisted on putting her AP in anyway.

 

[meatballsmom]

You know the more I think about this, in general.... What makes it right to order the Dining Plan with a child on it and use the child credits for adult meals to stretch out your dining options (paying for a child meal since it's cheaper) but telling a little white lie about your your child being a little younger then they are is terrible???? I think they are both basically the same thing. I actually am heading to Disney this year where my son will just be turning 6 and took the dining plan and will not be doing this, but I have heard plenty of people that are. Even when they are on the free dining plan. So isn't that lieing too??

 

[Laurajean1014]

My son is 9 and at our next trip will be 10. I have no problem with the new policy - it's enevitably.....sooner or later.

 

[mark&sue]

We lie to our children all the time telling them that there is Santa and there is a tooth fairy. They soon find out it is not true and learn very easily that their parents lie. For all those that think their children will be so hurt by these "age" lies I assume your kids knew there was no santa, tooth fairy.



Susan