Perhaps you thought National Grandparents Day was just another Hallmark holiday. Actually, it was Marian McQuade of West Virginia who founded the day. Her simple concept was to promote the celebration of our elders and to encourage younger generations to value and learn from their grandparents.
The day took on a national scope with President Jimmy Carter’s proclamation in 1978, establishing the first Sunday in September after Labor Day as a day to celebrate grandparents. This year, National Grandparents Day is celebrated on Sept. 11.
How to celebrate? Many families honor grandparents with a gift, a phone call or a card – grandparents tell us the best kind is a homemade one. Some schools promote Grandparents Day programs where grandparents are invited to school for a sharing of stories, or a display of children’s essays and artwork celebrating their grandparents. If it’s possible, take your children to visit their grandparents or invite them over for a meal. The flower of National Grandparents Day in the United States is the pretty blue forget-me-not.
And if your child doesn’t have grandparents that are still living, you might want to read them, Hooray For Grandparents’ Day, by Nancy Carlson (Viking Juvenile, 2000). Written for children ages 3 to 8, Carlson tells the tale of Arnie, a little boy who is upset that his school is celebrating Grandparents Day – but he doesn’t have any grandparents to bring. Arnie learns there are other adults in his life that serve as his honorary grandparents. It’s entirely possible your child has some honorary grandparents as well.