By Sue Ellen Ross, Staff reporter

LULING – For the superstitious-minded, the date of Friday the 13th isn’t a good day to plan anything. But for Megan Bernard, it was cause for a double celebration.

The J. B. Martin Middle School student officially become a teenager, and also celebrated her ‘golden’ birthday on that date. A golden birthday is when a person becomes the same age as the day of their birth.

“My friend Lauryn was the first one to tell me that my birthday was going to be on Friday the 13th.” said Megan. “She told me to be afraid, because your supposed to have bad luck on this day.”

Megan laughed at the advice. Since she is not superstitious, the advice was taken with a grain of salt, no pun intended.

Her grandmother Patsy Folse echoed the friends advice. “She told me I better watch out,” laughed Megan.

But although the eight-grader didn’t forecast doom and gloom, she still didn’t have her party on the dreaded day.

There were other reasons involved.

Megan’s nanny, Nicole Bernard of Waggaman, LA, is getting married in November and her engagement party was scheduled in Marrero on Friday the 13th.

This date is also Nicole’s birthday, so Megan’s party had to be scheduled at a different time since the new teen and her family would be with Nicole for her engagement party/birthday.

Megan made up for lost time by having a sleep-over for eight of her girlfriends last weekend. Also, a swim party for family and friends will take place today at the Willowdale Country Club.

“During the sleep-over, we watched scary movies, but not the Friday the 13th ones,” said Megan. “If my party would have been on that day, we would have rented all three – I have never seen any of them.”

Her advice to others that may have to face the same dilemma of a Friday the 13th birthday is to just relax. “It’s not that big of a deal,” she said.