"So how old are you, really?"
"When do you celebrate your birthday?"
"What does it feel like to be a leap year baby?"
To answer your questions, I feel a *lot* of things about being a leap year baby. On bad days (or years—you know, non-leap years), it can be sad and kind of lonely. On good days (or, again, leap years), being a leap year baby makes me feel special and—with the help of my family and friends—extra loved.
Here’s what it’s like to be a leap year baby, from a leap year baby who's technically only turning six this year… if you’re really only counting my actual birthdays on February 29th.
What It's Like To Be A Leap Year Baby
Yes, leap year babies do celebrate their birthdays.
Of course, I celebrate my birthday annually. I do get older—and hopefully wiser—so I like marking the occasion, TYVM! I prefer celebrating my birthday on February 28 during non-leap years, because I still want to embrace being a February baby. But sometimes, my family and I celebrate on March 1, because technically, that's probably the date that "officially" marks my becoming a year older.
It might get confusing or frustrating not knowing when to celebrate my "nonexistent" birth date, but on the opposite side of the spectrum, my family has also (probably) over-compensated for this by celebrating it from February 27 to March 1 the moment I turned 13. It's one hell of a way to welcome becoming a teenager, and admittedly, celebrating my birthday for three days straight beats just having one, LOL!
There are extra birthday perks when it’s a leap year.
I truly consider February 29 as my birthday, so during non-leap years I feel like I don't really have one. After all, it's literally not on the calendar! So in years when I "don't" have birthdays, my family and I usually just celebrate by having a simple lunch or dinner, whether it's at home or at a restaurant. But when my birthday comes along, I have a bongga celebration—it's usually four years' worth of birthdays rolled into one.
My 16th birthday (or, officially, my 4th) was one of the most memorable ones. It was my prom night, and after a night of dancing and hanging out with my friends, I came home to my Tita and Tito who had been waiting for me. They told me that we were going somewhere, and eventually led me to my Tito's room.
When they opened the door, I found myself staring at my whole family and my best friends! They decorated the room with pictures of me hanging from the ceiling, and they also gave me a birthday cake and even prepared my favorite food.
Today, February 29, I'm finally turning 24! To celebrate, I'm having three parties: one in Manila with my family (already done earlier this week), one with my boyfriend's family and some of our friends, and last but not least, one in Zambales, a quick getaway date with just my boyfriend.
Does it cost a pretty penny to celebrate my birthday more than once? Of course—but it's worth every centavo to be able to spend it with my loved ones. And besides, I had three years to save up for them. ;)
Government documents treat me like a "regular" birthday girl, though.
Aside from the obvious identity crisis in years that I don't actually have a birth date, there have been some hiccups here and there that come with being a leap year baby. For example, I had a problem registering my SIM card because my telco provider wouldn’t accept February 29 as my birthday. I got it resolved eventually, but that was definitely still a hassle for me.
Other than that, I haven't really had any problems when I transact with government agencies. It's business as usual for them, and that's really quite a relief for me.
Sometimes, being a leap year baby can be sad.
Practical things aside, being a leap year baby can sometimes get to me. Growing up, I would sometimes get jealous of people who have "normal" birthdays. Imagine, seeing your birth date on the calendar every year! It’s probably something that regular birthday people take for granted, but when I was younger, it was something I actually cried about in frustration.
I actually confronted my mom about this, one year. "Why would you give birth to me on a leap day," I demanded. I couldn't believe my ears when she said: "Tina-try na kita ilabas 27 palang, pero ayaw mo." Haha! It was my fault I was born on a leap day, apparently. Even as a newborn, I had a flair for the dramatic, LOL.
It’s all about how you (or I) see it.
I can be upset every time my friends or colleagues greet me and then follow up with, "Is it really your birthday?" or "It's not really your birthday, though!"
And if I'm being honest, it can get me down sometimes. It's greetings like these that make me sad whenever regular Februaries roll around. People have said it to me enough times that I sometimes feel like I don't deserve to have a birthday—like a little Birthday Impostor Syndrome, if that's even a thing.
But even if, strictly speaking, I'm only turning six this year, I believe that I'm old enough to know that it's all about perspective. This year, especially, I'm choosing to view my being a leap year baby as God's way of making me unique. Everything happens for a reason, right? And one of the most wonderful things about being human is that we can come up with our own positive, beautiful explanations for the inexplicable things in life.
I am letting my birthday—leap year or not—be a reminder to myself that I have the power and the agency to shape my own experiences. Celebrating my birthday, even if it takes four years to do so, is my personal declaration to the world that I am thriving, that I am loved, and I'm very much worth the wait.
