“Leap year” is the official term for the phenomenon that happens every four years in which February, the shortest month of the year, gains an extra day on the calendar. Feb. 29 is the date that appears one year and disappears the next. Many have wondered what this means for those who are born on this vanishing day. 

Children tend to learn in their second grade science classes that the Earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun, which most countries have split into twelve months that make up the calendar year. However, this is not entirely true; the Earth actually takes 365 and a fourth days to complete a full orbit, which is why every four years the calendar has 366 days instead. The first recorded leap year dates all the way back to 46 B.C.. 

“Our planet takes approximately 365.25 days to orbit the sun once. It is that . 25 that creates the need for a leap year every four years. During non-leap years, aka common years – like 2022 – the calendar does not take into account the extra quarter of a day required by Earth to complete a single orbit,” EarthSky said in an article.  

People born on Feb. 29 must deal with the decision of when to celebrate their birthdays during non-leap years. They are faced with the question of whether they should celebrate on Feb. 28, March 1, or only count it every four years. If one chooses the last approach, they may have lived 64 years, yet they are just now celebrating their sweet 16. Both the age of their mind and body do not match up with how many birthdays they have had in their lifetime.   

“I was not born on leap year, but I think everyone should be able to celebrate their birthday every year, even if Feb. 29 does not exist every year,” Avery Anthony, junior, said. 

This could lead to controversy over how to properly fill out legal documents; for instance, whether the age on a driver’s license is meant to correlate with the number of years one has lived, or how many times their date of birth has appeared in their lifetime. Identification cards do not specify how to count age in the fine print. This creates a bit of a rare dilemma for leap year birthdays.  

“It would be best for them to count every year towards their age; otherwise, they would be unable to drive until they are sixty-four and unable to drink until they are eighty-four,” Josh Sebring, senior, said. 

Children may find it odd to discover that one of their parents, or even grandparents, may be “younger” than they are. Perhaps they will start to question the authority of their elders as, after all, their father is only ten while they have just turned eleven. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they try, babies born on a leap year are unable to rid the Earth of the fourth of a day that the planet takes to orbit the sun (causing their disappearing birthday).  

“My friend’s dad was born on leap year, and it is funny to imagine that he is only ten years old while we are eighteen this year,” Ashleigh Holton, senior, said.  

If anyone you know, whether it be a family member, friend, or peer was born on Feb. 29, remember to treat them with kindness in every conversation. After all, they are much younger than you.