We lie to our children and say their birthdays are on a different day each year – it means we can always spend time with them

A couple has admitted that they lie to their children about their birthday every year.

Abbie Guy, 26, from Nottingham, and her husband Callum, 27, a footballer for Carlisle United, decided to make sure both parents could be there on their children’s special days.

The couple have two children, Ava, five, and George, three, but Callum’s strict work schedule means he’s often training or playing in a match on their birthdays.

Instead of letting it happen, they decided to just tell the kids that their birthdays fall on a different day, when she and Callum are not working, so they could do something fun to celebrate.

Although the couple hasn’t been molested by their children yet, Abbie realizes their ploy won’t last forever.

Abbie, a housewife, said: ‘It must have been Ava’s second birthday when my husband couldn’t make it because he had an away game.

‘That’s when we started. We never wanted him to be there again and we never wanted Ava to miss her dad on her birthday.

“As they get older, I realize we can’t do this forever. But while they’re still so young, we want to make it as magical as possible with the whole family.”

Abbie said the idea came from her mother, Carla Bentley, 49, whose busy job often meant she couldn’t attend birthday parties.

Abbie said: ‘So we started moving birthdays around so we could all celebrate them together, with my mum and stepdad there.

‘Ava’s 5th birthday was on August 13th. Callum was at work because there was a match on, so we told Ava her birthday was the Sunday before.

‘On Sunday Ava woke up and opened all her presents. We had a big birthday party with 20 of her friends in the playground and in the evening there was a family dinner.

‘Callum’s parents came over to celebrate, she got all her presents and cards – it was her birthday.

The couple have two children – Ava, five, and George, three – but Callum’s strict work schedule means he’s often training or playing in a match on their birthdays

Abbie said they decided to just tell the kids their birthdays fell on a different day – when she and Callum were both off work – so they could do something nice to celebrate

‘On Tuesday, the day of her actual birthday, we still had a nice day and went out for dinner with my friends.

“But we didn’t give any presents or cards or anything, and I didn’t say ‘happy birthday’ or anything.”

They usually move Ava and George’s birthdays to Callum’s days off, either the day closest or the day after.

Abbie shared the idea on her TikTok account – @abbieguy – and received nearly 500,000 views and 500 comments in response.

She said: ‘Of course the video got mixed reactions, but overall people were actually quite positive.

‘Quite a few people said, ‘OMG, why didn’t I think of this?’ and NHS workers and other people with demanding jobs shared their experiences, for example celebrating Christmas on Boxing Day.

The couple said their children have not yet told their lie, but she understands it won’t last forever

Abbie said the idea came from her mother, Carla Bentley, 49, who had a demanding job that often meant she couldn’t attend birthday parties.

It was Ava’s fifth birthday on August 13, but Callum was at work, so the couple told Ava her birthday was the Sunday before and they threw her a Barbie-themed party

“I think people generally understand that a child would prefer to celebrate their special day with both parents, if possible.”

Abbie and Callum have been ‘lying’ to their children about their birthdays for three years and have said they will continue to do so for as long as possible.

Abbie said: ‘Ava and George are so young. I can tell them it’s December and they’d just be like, ‘OK.’ At this age, dates don’t mean that much to them.

‘Ava knows her birthday is in August, but other than that she just doesn’t know. I’ll 100 percent get away with it while I can.

“It’s like ‘no harm, no foul.’ I really think that’s the best thing to do so they have a magical day.”