I was born on Feb. 27, so I barely missed being a Leap Year baby and I'm really grateful for that. Yet, I've often wondered what it would've been like to be born just a couple of days later, on Feb. 29. I mean, I know it might not sound like a big deal to others, but can you imagine if the day you were actually born comes about only every four years?
I don't necessarily make a huge deal for my birthday, but I do like to think that Feb. 27 is a special day. So, if you're born on a Leap Year on what day do you celebrate the other three years when there's no Feb. 29? And how do you even explain that to a child born on a Leap Year? Which begs the question, if you were due at the end of February, would you go as far as inducing to avoid having a baby on a Leap Year?
You may think that's a ridiculous question and while being born on a Leap Year can be a conversation starter for adults–answering typical questions like, do you celebrate your birthday Feb. 28 or March 1?–it can be kind of rough on little kids. We all know children can be cruel and it's not rare for some to make fun of leap year babies by telling them they won't get to celebrate their birthday on a non-leap year.
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Plus, there's the issue of how you explain it to your child. Vanessa, my 5-year-old daughter, is obssessed with calendars. She has one on her wall and she likes to look at it, mark special days and count how many more til her birthday. In fact, just two days ago, she was showing her little brother when her birthday is on the calendar. I can only imagine how crushed she'd be if she looked for the date only to find that it was missing from her calendar. Little kids don't really understand physics (and neither do I!).
Still, would I've induced to avoid having a baby on a Leap Year? Hmm… I don't think so. My child would just have to learn to deal with it and eventually I'd hope that she would love the idea of aging only every four years!
Luckily, my kids were both born in the summer so I never had to even think about this issue…
So, would you induce to avoid having a baby on a Leap Year? How would you explain a Leap Year to your child if he was born on Feb. 29?
Image via danielmoyle/flickr