What would you do if you didn’t have your birthday on the same day every single year? Do you not celebrate your birthday? Do you celebrate it the day before your birthday? One JHS student, Jacari Mitchell, who has his birthday on Leap Day, gave his input on how he celebrates his birthday every year.
Jacari usually celebrates his birthday on the last weekend of February or the 28th, the day before his actual birthday. He celebrates his birthday just the same as anyone else would: maybe have a party, have cake, and blow out those renowned birthday candles every year.
Jacari said, “Yes, I would rather have my birthday on a normal day because it seems like your birthday doesn’t exist.”
If Jacari only counted the days of his actual birthday, he would only be four-years -old, when in reality, he’s 15.
Jacari looks on the brighter side of things saying, “I don’t miss having my actual birthday every year because I still celebrate it, but I would prefer to have it every year.”
Celebrating your birthday should be an every year occasion, with presents, and hearing people sing happy birthday to you, (possibly very badly at that), hearing your name be read on the announcements, and people being extra nice to you for a day. But for Jacari that doesn’t necessarily happen every year for him.
Jacari said, “I don’t really miss having people say Happy Birthday to me because the people who know me still do.”
So if Jacari is technically only four years-old, how does he get his driver’s license? Having a four-year-old boy drive a car? How absurd! Well, for Jacari, it’s just the same as everyone else.
He has to have all of the same required paperwork that everyone else must have, such as a birth certificate, a driving permit, a Social Security card, mail, etc. So really, for Jacari, not much is different besides only having the actual day he was born on every four years.
Jacari celebrates his birthday the same way. He gets presents like you and I, eats delicious birthday cake, and even gets his driver’s license the same way, but this year is particularly special for him: he’s turning 16!
Jacari plans to go to Springfield and eat at Osaka, a Japanese restaurant, and then his mom is throwing him a party. Jacari said, “This birthday will probably be my favorite because I’m turning 16, and I’m getting a car.”
Jacari is very excited to finally get his driver’s license and be able to drive by himself. For Jacari, having his 16th birthday on the actual day he was born is also very exciting to him. He can’t wait to be another year older.
So Jacksonville civilians, watch out for the four year old boy driving around town! He may only be four-years-old counting his actual birthdays, but he sure does not seem like he’s four!