• WHEN WAS MY CHILD BORN?
   
• WHEN DO I CELEBRATE MY CHILDS BIRTHDAY?
   
• TEASING YOUR OWN CHILD
   
• WHAT TO EXPLAIN TO YOUR CHILD
   
• WHAT DO I CALL MY CHILD?

• HOW OLD IS MY CHILD?
   

• WHEN WILL MY CHILD BE LEGAL?
   

• WHY IT'S SUCH A BIG DEAL
   

• February 29, 2000 Ty Beanie Baby
   

• Cloths with a frog theme.

Your child is the same age as any other child born in the same year as your child.
The difference is that those of us born on February 29 have this special *thing* about
our birthday that can be a bit confusing at first, to adults and children.

It is NOT correct to say your 8 year old child is "Two years old" as it is obvious they
are not. There a few ways to say it correctly. Here some to think about:

1. My child is two Leap Years old.
2. My child is two at 8.
3. My child is 8 at two.
4. My child is 2.

You get a better response when it is said correctly, and it is important to be correct.

When people ask how old I am I tell them "I am 11". Period. If they don't understand
I explain my Leapness and tell them to figure out my *other* age. With kids, I help
them with the math. But I like to let the person asking figure it out. It helps them to
grasp the concept of Leap Years happening every four years.

One other thing about how old your child is. Please don't make a big deal over them
being "1" or "2" when they don't want to be. They've already been 1 and 2. They are
excited about being "4" and "8" or 12. Something like "You're turning 8 on your second birthday!" or "You'll be 3 again on your twelfth birthday" might be good alternatives to use.

In Leap Years, celebrate their birthday ON February 29th. We only get
to do that every 4 years. In off years, we can celebrate on February 28th
because we were born in February. However, we were born the day after
the 28th so we can celebrate on March 1st if we want to.

Or both because we can! And some of us do! 

When it comes to celebrating at a birthday party, the frog is the big deal.
So are leaping lizards. Getting the child items that reflect their Leapness
is always fun. We have a few items now in the Leap Year Store. You can
get there from www.leapzine.com

If you need some ideas on what to do for your child's birthday, check out
the Kids Party Ideas page. You can get there from www.leapzine.com 

Depending on where you live will determine when your child may
drive or be considered an adult. Regardless of when we celebrate,
we will not be our next age until after midnight of February 28. No
matter what the next day is.

Now, when it comes to getting a free meal at a restaurant, or
something like that, it is the managers call. I have heard of many
Leap Day babies who played the Leap Day Card and did win.
They got the free meal, or they got to get in free, or they received
the discount. It's usually up to the manager. The argument?
The 29th is not there, and we're just talking about a meal, or a
good time. It's simply fun. And some people can actually see the
fun in this. Which is cool.

Please don't tease your little Leap Day baby about their birthday. They
will get enough of that outside the home. Please don't say things like,
"If you don't do your chores your birthday wont be on the calendar next
year and you wont get a birthday!" In my opinion that is not funny.

This is your child, who believes you, trusts you and takes what you say
as truth. Please don't use their birth date against them. They need you
on their side as someone who 'gets it' when others don't. Please continue
to explain to them why their birth date is not there, until they are of an
age they can understand. Learn all you can about is to make it easier on
you, and your little Leapling.

And please don't make a big deal over them being "1" or "2" when they
don't want to be. They've already been 1 and 2. They are really excited
about being "4" and "8" or 12. Celebrate that. Something like "You're
turning 8 on your second birthday!" or "You'll be 3 again on your twelfth
birthday" might be good alternatives to use.

Do you see what I mean here? Allow them to be 4 and 8 while you
celebrate their Leapness. When they get older, and have a clearer
understanding of this day they were born on, they will appreciate it more.
And they'll appreciate it more if you made it a positive thing for them
when they are young.

Parents love to over use "It's because your special!" Well, for me, that only worked for so long.
I wanted to know why I was special, and, I still wanted to know why my birthday isn't on the
calendar every year. 

The technical reasons don't really work on kids that are very young. "Because you're special."
will last the first Leap Year, but come the second and third Leap Year, we want some concrete
answers. My suggestion is to tell your little Leap Day baby the truth from the beginning. And
here's what the truth is... 

Your child was born on February 29, Leap Year Day. Or Leap Day as some call it. Either is fine.
Leap Day represents balance between the universe and the planet earth itself. OK, maybe that's
to much to understand. It represents balance between the way humans keep track of time and
how the planet rotates around the sun. That's a little easier to understand. Leap Day represents
balance between the seasons and the calendar. Pretty basic. Depending on their age they'll
understand. But they probably wont really "get it" until their 2nd and 3rd birthday (when they are
8 and 12). Prepare them for the questions. Maybe you already get them. If so, then you know
already. If you don't know, yet, you will in due time. You will here these questions over and over.
And that's OK. People are curious. So just answer them.

Number 3 really gets me going. Of course we get a birthday. We age, we celebrate that age every
year, and we "get" a birthday. The question people are really asking, but just don't know how, is:
What is it like to have a birthday that's not on the calendar? Some may even phrase the question
something like that. But most will blurt out "Oh my gosh! What is it like to not get a birthday?!"
and you just calmly explain to them that you do. Of course. Once they are enlightened, they are
usually wishing they were a Leap Day baby too.

The generations alive today do not know life without clocks and calendars. We have always been able
to tell what time it is, what day it is, what month it is, what year it is.

There wasn't an 8th day where God said 'Let there be clocks and calendars in abundance'.  Someone
had to figure it out. Several people did. And then it took hundreds of generations to perfect it. 

The calendar has been through many changes. It is now at its' most perfect, so they say. Some may
disagree, and that's OK. The point is, the calendar we use today; the device we use to keep track of
days, weeks, months and years, has been the way it is now for hundreds and hundreds of years.
There's a reason for that. We experience the seasons the same time every year. The seasons are in
the same set of months, every year. That is a big deal.

Think about this for a minute... If we didn't have an extra day to keep the calendar in sync with the
seasons, we would eventually have to celebrate holidays that happen in one season, in a totally
different season. In the parts of the world where Christmas is celebrated in the winter, it will eventually
end up being celebrated in the summer. To plant, grow and harvest, we need dependable time frames
we can count on. If we didn't have that extra day to keep the season's lined up with the calendar, we
would have a horrible time trying to maintain our crops.

Leap Year Day was added to the calendar when February was the last month of the year. When
February was promoted to the second position of the calendar, it retained the responsibility of
keeping the calendar in line with the seasons.

It's because of that extra day, February 29, Leap Year Day, that the calendar is as perfect as it is.

How wonderful that is. How cool that we were born on such a great day in history. Not everyone
will agree with me, I know. And that's OK. But from the research I've done in the last 5 Leap Years
(come on, how many years is that?) I've learned that I was born on a day that represents something
really cool. And that I have something unique about me that not too many people have. That feels
good. I'll admit it. It's neat. It's fun. It's cool even.

OK - it didn't feel good when I got teased in elementary school. My second grade teacher asked if we
knew someone born on February 29. I rose my hand and told her I was born on that day. She said,
right there in front of the class... "Oh you poor child" - Can you believe that?

Teachers today have so much more information about Leap Year than teachers in the past. But there
still might be an UnLeapified teacher lurking somewhere in a school district we might have missed. If
you know of one, give them our web address www.leapyearday.com.

So be aware, be Leap Year Day Aware, and make sure your child's teacher is too! Oh there are kids
who will sing "You don't get a birthday" in that sing-song style kids do so well. Or, say things like,
"You can't play with us, you're only a baby." But at least now, more than ever maybe, teachers,
students and parents will have a clearer understanding of what Leap Year is, and what Leap Day is,
and why. And from that I hope they will all think of it as I do. That it's a very cool day to recognize
in general, and it's a very cool day to be born on. 

So be patient with your Leap Day baby. Teach them what it is, why it is, and how special they are
for being born on a day in history that represents balance and harmony. And there is no competition
like other "holiday babies" experience. We are certainly a unique bunch of people and you can learn
more about Leap Year and Leap Day on this site. Check out the Teachers and Educators page for
fun facts and Leapified learning tools. I hope you will educate yourself on the subject, so you can
help your child understand what it means to be a Leap Day Baby.

Leap back up