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It's Grandparents Day!
by Rich Thomaselli
A look back at the history of Grandparents Day as the 29th annual celebration takes place on September 7
It all sounded so official in 1979, with words and phrases like "whereof"' and "hereunto" and "joint resolution."
But when President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation creating a National Grandparents Day, little did anyone know how it would grow. At the time, Carter said the holiday would recognize "the importance and worth of the 17 million grandparents in our nation."
Barely a generation later, there are now more than 70 million grandparents in the United States.
That's a lot of recognition.
And a lot of gifts, cards, and flowers, too.
Grandparents Day is September 7 this year. On September 13, 2009, the holiday will mark its 30th anniversary. Like Mother's Day and Father's Day, it's a time for family celebration, and a chance to honor the important role grandparents play in children's lives.
Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, an Oak Hill, W. Va., housewife, founded the holiday. McQuade had worked with senior citizens for many years and her original idea for the holiday was not only to recognize grandparents but also to bring attention to the needs of people living in nursing homes.
She began her campaign locally in 1970, eventually drawing the attention of U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph (D., W. Va.), who lobbied Gov. Arch Moore to establish a statewide day for grandparents. Moore did just that in 1973, the same year Randolph introduced a Grandparent Day resolution in Congress.
Randolph's resolution bounced around both houses of Congress with no action for several years, until McQuade and her supporters turned to the media for help with their efforts. The added pressure paid off, and in 1978 Congress passed legislation declaring the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. Carter signed his proclamation on September 6, 1979, and the first Grandparents Day was celebrated three days later.
In 1989, the U.S. Postal Service honored McQuade with a stamp bearing her likeness in recognition of the holiday's tenth anniversary. McQuade is now 91. She's the mother of 15, the grandmother of 43, and the great-grandmother of ten.
In that original proclamation, Carter wrote that because grandparents "are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations."
Today, though, an increasing number of grandparents have actually assumed daily responsibility for their grandchildren. According to AARP, 4.5 million children are being raised in households headed by grandparents. For those kids and millions of others, grandparents create special relationships and impart lessons that last a lifetime. As Carter wrote, "Grandparents are our continuing tie to the near-past, to the events and beliefs and experiences that so strongly affect our lives and the world around us."
To learn about special Grandparents Day events nationwide, click here. For a listing of Grandparents Day discounts and deals, click here. Elsewhere on Grandparents.com, find ideas for Grandparents Day crafts, read our reviews of the latest books on grandparenting, and learn the 25 reasons kids love grandparents.
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148 Answers
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Yes, the kids always do something special
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No, but I think it's high time we started!
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| How many grandparents know about GPDay?
How many of our children and grandchildren know?
It doesn't help a bit for us to know, we're not going to urge our children or gchildren to do something for Our Day. So we're left sitting at home wondering if they will remember or even know.
MaMaw D.
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| One of my children and his wife are so wrapped up in their own "Christian" lifestyles that their only recognition of me on my birthday, Mother's Day, Grandparents' Day and Christmas is a text message -- IF they remember it before the day is over. Ironically, this is my most financially successful child of all of them. He and his wife have virtually cut me off from my 2 grandchildrens' lives and it's only by rare happenstance that I hear of soccer games, school awards, etc. Their grandfather died in 1993 so they only have me on their father's side. It makes me cry on a daily basis. Did I mention that they live less than 3 miles from me? My son actually came over once to show me the new Corvette he had just bought and to take me for a ride in it. I'll keep trying, but it gets discouraging. They say the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. I can vouch that indifference hurts a lot. Thanks for listening. (My other four children are very loving and attentive and I am so very grateful for them!)
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| It is a great to celebrate this day
by attending my grandsons Nikolas and Christopher School, they do crafts with their pictures,little poems and the school prepares, coffee, sodas,cookies and
we take pictures with them, I always have a great time, ande they feel so proud given us their presents, some grandparents do not attend and you can know this by looking into their sad little faces.
As long as I can I will not miss this day for anything.
Abuchy ( Abuela)
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| i am so glad you have a grandparents day because we have 13 beautiful grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren with a 6th due in Feb. we love each and everyone of them...we raised 6 children of our own and raised 2 of the grandchildren and now helping to raise a great grandson.
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| It would help if this special day was better advertised.
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