Grandparents are amazing! They worry about us. They brag about us. They share their experience with us. They sacrifice to save us from the hardships they have endured. They stay loyal to us even when we refuse to listen to them…and make the mistakes they were hoping we wouldn’t make. They take joy and pride in spoiling us. And they love us.
There are many reasons to cherish and love our grandparents. We should do so as often as we can, and make a special effort on Grandparents Day. This relatively new holiday has a threefold purpose:
- To honor grandparents for their knowledge, experience, sacrifices, kindness and love.
- To give grandparents an opportunity to show their love for their children’s children.
- To help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance that older people can offer.
A Day To Honor Our Elders
The Founder
National Grandparents Day was established as the first Sunday after Labor Day when a law was approved by Congress and then signed by President Carter in 1978. The drive to honor those who paved the way for our families was spearheaded by Marian McQuade – at the time an 81 year old mother of 15, grandmother of 40 and great grandmother of 3.
Mrs. McQuade attributed her passion to her grandmother who used to visit elderly people in her community after working all day on the farm. She said, “Often I would tag along. I never forgot talking with those delightful people. That’s where my love and respect for oldsters started.” (There’s definite proof of how positively grandparents can affect our lives!)
Observance
In 2019, Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Sunday, Sept. 8. The intent of this holiday is to honor grandparents and help them to strengthen their bonds with their grandchildren. Observances can take many forms. However, Mrs. McQuade stressed that the emphasis is not to spend money. It is to spend time together.
Here are some of her recommendations for celebrating Grandparents Day.
- Family Dinners & Cooking Together
- Storytelling
- Family Dances & Sing-a-longs
- Looking At Old Photographs
- Compiling Family Trees
(Original Source: www.grandparents-day.com. Current source: https://legacyproject.org/guides/gpdhistory.html)