In 1978, Congress passed legislation that proclaimed the first Sunday after Labor Day would be National Grandparents Day, a national holiday. The purpose of such a day was to honor these special people and to help foster children’s awareness of the love, guidance, strength and wisdom this older generation offers.
Why is it important to honor grandparents? They represent a living link between the present and the past. They are an integral connection to our heritage, family traditions, and culture. The lives they have lived and history they have witnessed serves as a font of information and wisdom. Additionally, they have a rare insight into your life and upbringing – they are the ones who raised your parents and very likely had a prominent role in your childhood as well.
Gift giving and card giving are popular ways to recognize grandparents. Some 4 million greeting cards are purchased and sent for Grandparents Day each year. Others make it a point to visit their grandparents, invite them over for a meal, or participate in a variety of activities with them. For active grandparents, attending a baseball game, movie, play, musical event or the like can be a fun way to spend time with a grandchild, old or young. For grandparents who may be housebound or in a nursing home or other care facility, simply spending time visiting them is a meaningful way to recognize Grandparents Day.
For young children, commemorating Grandparents Day can be as easy as coloring or painting a picture or creating another thoughtful art or craft project. What grandparent doesn’t love to display a grandchild’s work of art on the front of the refrigerator? Writing a poem or story about time spent with a grandparent is another special way to honor these grand people.
Spending time with grandparents is also special. Fishing, baking cookies, going for a bike ride, participating in a nature hike together… times like these are wonderful opportunities to engage in conversation. What was your grandpa’s childhood like? Where did your grandparents meet? What were grandma’s favorite activities when she was young? What do your grandparents miss most about the era during which they were born? It’s amazing how much you can know about your own grandparents and still be pleasantly surprised to find out something new.
Why not spend some time with your grandparents honoring your heritage? Is there a special cultural dish they loved as a child? Share time preparing and enjoying a special meal together. Download some memorable music from their childhoods to play while you dine. Top off the evening by hauling out some old family photo books and take a stroll down memory lane with them. The official flower of Grandparents Day is the Forget-me-not, so if your grandmother is a flower lover, pick up a special bouquet.
Whatever names they go by – grandma, grandpa, nana, papa, gran, gramps – they are a living link to your past. For many people, grandparents have played an important part in their childhoods and lives. Whether your grandparents lived just down the street and you saw them every day as a child, or if they lived miles away and your relationship was mainly via telephone, Grandparents Day is the perfect opportunity to take time out of the busy schedule to dedicate a day to the older generation in your family – the people who have watched you grow and helped you become who you are today.
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