Fred Shekoufeh looks a lot older than 15, but then again his son, Eric, doesn't look four either. Shekoufeh and son, who live in...
Shekoufeh and son, who live in La Mesa, California, share a unique bond that goes beyond genetics: They were both born on February 29.
Eric is celebrating his 5th official birthday while his dad is celebrating his 15th on the same day. Both father and son were born on February 29, an event that has a 1 in 2.1 million chance of happening,according to Time.com.
Fred Shekoufeh, a native of Iran, didn't realize his birthday was unusual until 1979 when he moved to the U.S. and immigration officials commented on it.
It wasn't clear at first. "It's confusing," Shekoufeh told HuffPost.
Eric Shekoufeh said sharing such an unusual birthday with his dad is "pretty incredible," but admits being born on February 29 has some challenges.
"I get lots of jokes about whether I should celebrate on Feb. 28 or March 1," Eric said, adding that he tries to stretch it out on both days.
"It's a weird day. People don't recognize it on social media, but when they find out, they never forget it."
"Everyone and their mother made a joke about me turning four, and that four-year-olds shouldn't be able to drive cars. Well, evidently I could," he said. "I was glad to have an actual birthday on such on emphatic year: getting a license. No confusion at the DMV. I hope I can say the same when I'm going out for my 21st."
This year, Shekoufeh, a student at UCLA, plans to do more of his celebrating at Big Bear over the weekend.
"I don't plan to push it over to March 1st," he said.
He said he is more excited about next year when he will officially turn 21 and can legally drink alcohol.
"Legally, I should be able to drink on the 28th, but I'm expecting a bouncer to look at my license and tell me it's a fake," he said.
