It takes the earth a little more than 365 days to orbit the sun – it’s closer to about 365-and-a quarter days – but not exactly! So, we add an extra day every four years. But not years divisible by 100 unless it’s a year also divisible by 400! Yes, it’s all rather confusing!
But Raenell Dawn, the co-founder of the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies simplifies things and explains why that matters: “It’s not the most important day. It’s the most important date on the calendar because it’s the date that keeps all of the dates in line with the seasons.”
As a Leap Year Day baby herself, she decided to create a birthday club (in 1988) where others born on the 29th could share their experiences and celebrate together.
Raenell points out a distinction, “Anyone can be born in a Leap Year. We were born on Leap Year Day.”
Through the Facebook group, I was able to find several Leap Year Day babies in our region.
Sam Kyransaleigh lives in the New River Valley. And while it’s not polite to ask a woman her age – Sam didn’t seem to mind sharing. She's coming up on her 10th birthday - you can do the math!
She remembers becoming aware something was different when she was turning eight years old.
Sam laughs as she recalls, “Eight was when I was, like, my birthday didn’t happen last year. Why didn’t it happen last year? Why is it only happening this year?”
At first, having brothers and sisters with their real birthdays on the calendar every year, took some getting used to.
“I got jealous. Well, you get to celebrate yours every year. I have to celebrate on a fake day! But then, as I got older, I was, like, I like this,” says with a smile.
For Leap Year Day babies who are also parents – their children have a way of catching up…! Sam delights, “The year I turned eight, my daughter actually turned eight at the same time – about two weeks before I did. And so, we we’re the same age for an entire year!”
Grant Johnson is a senior at Southern Virginia University where he’s studying psychology. He's already applying his education through his "Dopamine Coach" service and website which helps people avoid destructive behavior and break harmful habits.
He puts his birthday into scientific terms, “I was born in 2000 – so that was my Leap Year. I’m turning six – so this would be my twenty-fourth time around the sun!”
Grant recalls having to outgrow the occasional teasing he got when he was younger, “Growing up, it was sometimes a little difficult. I’ve always been a little bit shorter and smaller and people would ask me, ‘Oh! Is that why you’re so small?’ because I was technically two! But, now that I’m older, I love having been born on Leap Day and I think that it’s really cool.”
My third Leap Year Day baby is Palmer Satterfield. He’s turning three – that’s twelve years old. We talked about his being born on February 29 – but there was something else he’d rather talk about.
"I play baseball.," says proudly.
He's serious and dedicated about the game and plays for multiple teams.
"I play travel. We play winter, we play summer, and I have a 'B' team during the summer," he offers excitedly.
Palmer has aspirations to continue playing, "I want to at least make it to college. I want to play college."
Palmer singled out WVU as the college where he'd like to eventually play.
If you’re saying to yourself that these sound like just ordinary people – well, they are! It’s the unusual birthday that sets them apart.
But whether you’re a Leap Year Day baby or not, Raenell Dawn says this special day on the calendar is something worth celebrating, “February twenty-nine is not just our birthday, it’s everyone’s extra day. So, go do something good with it.”
* And as note of disclosure: Yours truly also happens to have been born on February 29.
