diff --git a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
index f7e35c779..0e28c3fb8 100644
--- a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
@@ -61,13 +61,6 @@ class PeopleController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   def update
-    # convert date selector into proper timestamp
-    
-    if birthday = params[:date]
-      unless [:month, :day, :year].any?{|x| birthday[x].blank?} 
-        params[:person][:profile][:birthday] ||= Date.parse("#{birthday[:year]}-#{birthday[:month]}-#{birthday[:day]}")
-      end
-    end
 
     # upload and set new profile photo
     params[:person][:profile] ||= {}
diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index 7794c287e..c87c97f46 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ class Profile
 
   before_save :strip_names
 
-  attr_accessible :first_name, :last_name, :image_url, :image_url_medium, :image_url_small, :birthday, :gender, :bio, :searchable
+  attr_accessible :first_name, :last_name, :image_url, :image_url_medium,
+    :image_url_small, :birthday, :gender, :bio, :searchable, :date
 
 
   def person
@@ -86,6 +87,15 @@ class Profile
     end
   end
 
+  def date= params
+    if ['year', 'month', 'day'].all? { |key| params[key].present? }
+      date = Date.new(params['year'].to_i, params['month'].to_i, params['day'].to_i)
+      self.birthday = date
+    elsif ['year', 'month', 'day'].all? { |key| params[key] == '' }
+      self.birthday = nil
+    end
+  end
+
   protected
 
   def strip_names
diff --git a/app/views/people/edit.html.haml b/app/views/people/edit.html.haml
index 61c2f4cdc..ce9a733e0 100644
--- a/app/views/people/edit.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/people/edit.html.haml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
       %h4
         = t('.your_birthday')
         %br
-        = select_date @person.profile.birthday, :prompt => true, 
+        = select_date @person.profile.birthday, :prompt => true, :prefix => 'person[profile][date]',
         :default => true, :order => t('date.order'), :start_year => 2000, :end_year => 1904
 
       %h4
diff --git a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
index e74a08c78..a7b9abe86 100644
--- a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
@@ -73,4 +73,37 @@ describe Profile do
       xml.should_not include person.id.to_s
     end
   end
+
+  describe 'date=' do
+    let(:profile) { make_user.profile }
+
+    it 'accepts form data' do
+      profile.birthday.should == nil
+      profile.date = { 'year' => '2000', 'month' => '01', 'day' => '01' }
+      profile.birthday.year.should == 2000
+      profile.birthday.month.should == 1
+      profile.birthday.day.should == 1
+    end
+
+    it 'unsets the birthday' do
+      profile.birthday = Date.new(2000, 1, 1)
+      profile.date = { 'year' => '', 'month' => '', 'day' => ''}
+      profile.birthday.should == nil
+    end
+
+    it 'does not change with one or more blank values' do
+      profile.birthday = Date.new(2000, 1, 1)
+      profile.date = { 'year' => '2001', 'month' => '', 'day' => ''}
+      profile.birthday.year.should == 2000
+      profile.birthday.month.should == 1
+      profile.birthday.day.should == 1
+    end
+
+    it 'accepts blank initial vallues' do
+      profile.birthday.should == nil
+      profile.date = { 'year' => '2001', 'month' => '', 'day' => ''}
+      profile.birthday.should == nil
+    end
+  end
+
 end