A junior high school student doesn’t let being told by friends that he is smart for his age go to his head — that's because he hears it all the time.
“They have fun with it – they say you’re a very smart two-year-old,” said Josh Jardine, who will celebrate his third birthday on Feb. 29. “I think it’s pretty interesting and unique to be born on a leap day.”
So does former Foothills Composite high school vice-principal Joyce Loucks, who will celebrate her Sweet 16 birthday party on Feb. 29.
“It’s the best day ever,” Loucks said of having Feb. 29 as her birthday. “My family made it the best — my mom and dad did that. My mom thought it was going to be the worst birthday. I had a friend who was born on Feb. 28 and for three years we would celebrate her birthday.
“Then for Feb. 29, my birthday was huge. I can remember everyone of my birthdays.”
Loucks, who grew up in Cochrane, Ont, celebrated her fourth birthday by inviting all those who were at her first — some 12 years before.
“Then for my 10th birthday I invited all my friends — and their kids had to come — and we went bowling,” she said.
Loucks is an educator — she would bring cupcakes to all the students at school where she was teaching who shared her birthday — and one time she was invited to Joe Clark School where she wasn’t exactly the teacher.
“It was a Grade 2 class and I was the math problem,” Loucks said. “It wasn’t a birthday year — they had to figure out how old I was.
“They came up to the board and show how they figured it out. It was very cool.”
Josh’s mom, Amber Kenney, wasn’t concerned about her son being born on Feb. 29, some 12 years ago this Saturday, she just wanted him to leap into the world already.
“He was due on Feb. 19,” Amber said. “I was about nine days overdue and I had to go do this special stress test and they told me ‘It looks like he’s about 12 pounds give or take.’.. And I thought I was going to die.”
Josh came into the world at 9lb 14 oz at 6:45 a.m. at High River Hospital.
A relieved mom didn’t think too much of having a leap year baby until about 365 days later.
“It didn’t really register until about the next year for his birthday – how do we deal with his birthday?” she said. “Do we do it Feb. 28 or March 1?”
She went right to the source – Josh decides.
“I usually celebrate on Feb. 28,” Okotoks Junior High School school said. “But this year, I actually get to celebrate on the 29th.
“I am going to celebrate, have some friends over and play some games – and we’re going to make sushi.”
When you have a child who has his actual birthday once every four years, hey take advantage of it now and then.
Like having some fun with it and trying to get into Calaway Park on a reduced price as a two-year-old.
“That never works,” Josh said.
His mom agreed.
“He’s a very tall three-year-old,” she quipped.
