fibbing on son's age

[JenDaveBrendan]

Please no one think badly of me for asking this-- I am usually not like this--- We are going to Disney with our son who will be 3 and a half years old when we go in Feb. I was wondering since kids under 3 get into the parks for free, if it would work to just say he is under 3. Do they question this? He is about 38 inches and 34 pounds, so he is tall and skinny. Just wondering if anyone had done this before..... thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Not a good thing to do. You know how kids are. You will say he is only two and he will insist that he is three.

Buy the kid a ticket. You know it's the right thing to do.

 

[Bird-Mom]

Don't do it. You are not setting a good example for your child by lying. Rules are rules. If you choose to go to Disney, you choose to abide by their rules.

 

[JenDaveBrendan]

You guys are right, my husband said the same thing about how ds will insist he is three and I am being ridiculous since we are paying a lot anyway to go. Thanks!

Jen

 

[buffett010]

I know you've said that you're going to buy a ticket, but just thought I'd let you know what happened with us one time. You said your son is 38" tall at 3. Our son is 4 and is 42" tall, and very skinny - he can pull slims off himslef while they're zipped and snapped! Anyway, we were at our state fair and took him to the game where they guess your age, weight, etc. We did the guess your age one for him, and even though he had his stroller with him, the guesser thought he was 7! We've had other people guessing his age at 6 when we've been shopping, so even though YOU know how old he is, others could potentially put him at much older.
But, I'm glad you're going to do the right thing! It's the people that don't pay when they should who feel guilty their entire trip and don't enjoy themselves as they should! Go and have a great time!

 

[WDWLinda]

Well, doesn't exactly lie, he just can't count...we're going in 3 wks and my son is almost 2 and a half, but if you ask him how old he is, he either says "One" or "Three"! He's a little big for his age, but I'm afraid that someone will ask how old he is and he'll say 3. We're going to practice "How old are you?" a lot in the next 3 weeks!

 

[mrsltg]

This makes me nervous. We're going for DD's 3rd birthday. She'll turn 3 in the middle of our vacation and Disney's policy is that she doesn't need a ticket as she was 2 when she got there. HOWEVER, she is 40" tall. I'm afraid that this is going to be a problem. What do you all think?

Erin

 

[Baileymouse]

Bring her birth certificate

 

[BabyTigger99]

When we went last December, DS had just turned 3 that August. Everyone in my DH's family who we were there with said we should lie about his age. My SIL had her son say he was 9 just to get him a kids ticket (he was 10, almost 11). They all were shocked when we said we would not lie for him. What better time is there to teach kids morals? Plus, if asked, he would have told people he was three.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I just wanted to take a moment to applaud the honest parents who are, in these difficult times, taking the time out to teach their children some moral values.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Originally posted by BabyTigger99
When we went last December, DS had just turned 3 that August. Everyone in my DH's family who we were there with said we should lie about his age. My SIL had her son say he was 9 just to get him a kids ticket (he was 10, almost 11). They all were shocked when we said we would not lie for him. What better time is there to teach kids morals? Plus, if asked, he would have told people he was three.

Good for you! Your SIL is teaching her son to lie ... and that's going to come back and "bite her" in a couple of years when he's a teenager.

 

[elgerber]

Just adding to the discussion on honest parents. My ds is 10 and a half when we leave. He is also very small. Only about 2 inches taller and weighs less than his 7 yr old sister. I bought our AP's well over a year ago (to beat the price increase) and I bought him an adult AP. He could easily pass as 9 or younger, probably for a couple more years, but I knew that was wrong.

Erika

 

[crabmeal]

Just to say I know someone who besides going free with military passes put her 6 yo in a double stroller and got her in free. HEr DS was in the same stroller was over three too. I couldn;t believe they did this and got away with it. She told me to do the same with my DS but I said no Im buying him a ticket. I could understand if they turn three on ths vacation but she was way wrong doing that.

 

[summerrluvv]

We have never once been asked the age of our son nor has he personally been asked how old he is. I don't think parents need to practice with their kids on how old they are. Ultimately, we are the parents and it's us that the CM should be asking, not the child. Some kids are confused by that question or just don't know how to count and will give conflicting answers. My son is four, but says he is three and even sometimes says his phone number when asked how old he is. If a CM ever asked how old he was (to get into lets say the Pirate Cruise or Kids Club), I would intervene and tell them how old he is.

 

[sarahsmom73]

We are headed to WDW in April.. DD will be 32 months old. She is the size of a 3 year old now and has the vocabualry of one also! If anyone asks her age right now she says 3!!! (or tres! yes she can count to 8 in Spanish too! ) Needless to say I will be bringing a copy of her birth certificate!

 

[luvmy2prncss]

My DD was 3 and 1/2 when we went last year. When we checked into the AS Sports we purchased our park tickets at the front desk. The CM asked how many we needed. Being the honest person I am I said 2 adults and 1 child. The CM said "Are you sure she's three?" I said "yes she's three and a half". My DH after the fact said I think the CM was trying to let you know we didn't need to buy her a ticket. I believe that honesty is the best policy and teaches the kids the right things but it seems to me the CM was trying to encourage us to fib about DD's age.

 

[Otto's Doll]

So glad to read all the positive responses here. We need to teach our kids by our words and our actions. If they don't see honesty and integrity practiced, then who knows what they will be capable of as they get older. Our children are watching us much more closely than we realize!

 

[sha_lyn]

A few years back now... Oh boy it's been a while since I told this and the details are getting foggy... we went to see a movie. A disney animated one I believe. DD had just turned 2 if I remember correctly.
A little girl behind us began talking to DD. The girl asked how old DD was, and then went on the say "at home I am 4 but when we go places I'm 2 because daddy won't pay for me to see a stupid disney movie". I think that example says it all.

Bravo to everyone here who has done "the right thing".

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Another big WAY TO GO for being honest. You child will get your money's worth of joy out of the trip and you will enjoy it so much more. As far as tall for their are kids, make a reduced size photo copy of your child's birth certificate and stick it in your wallet, or backpark. DS at 9 was a little tall for his age and though we were never questioned about his age, it made me feel better to have it. Many insurance cards have the child's b-day on them and you should carry that anyway.


Jordan's mom

 

[HopeCU]

I'm a little worried about the age thing with my daughter, too. We are going in November and she will be 3 in December. She talks very well and clear for her age and most people think she is older. If you ask her how old she is (depending on her mood at the time) she either tells you 3 or 16. I don't think anyone would believe she's 16 but what about 3? Should I really bring her birth certificate?