Grandparents Day

Sunday is National Grandparents Day – a day to celebrate all the wonderful Grandmas, Nanas, Nonnas, Grannies, Gramps, Grandpas…or whatever name you use… out there!

Grandparents Day was never designed to be a day for selling cards, flowers and gifts though –as much as they would be appreciated we’re sure. The lady behind it all, Marian Lucille McQuade, (a grandma to 43, and great-grandma to 10! Wow!) first campaigned for it to be a family day – a day that called for generations to simply spend quality time together. It was in 1978 that Congress proclaimed the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day, with President Jimmy Carter stating it was a day to “honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer“.

So this weekend, if you are still lucky enough to have your own grandparents around, as well as your parents, don’t forget to take the time to really show them your love and appreciation – and make sure your littles do too! Because let’s be honest, life with kids is busy and we often forget to show it day to day, week to week, don’t we?

Hands up moms and dads, who would have been completely lost in parenthood without the support of their parents – especially in those early months, when we were finding our feet as a new parent?

Hands up – whose parents look after the littles while you work? Be it full or part time. And they LOVE it!

Hands up – whose parents always make themselves available on the phone to you if you’ve had a hard day, or if you need reassurance that you are doing this whole parenting thing right?

Hands up – whose parents can make your little kids squeal with excitement at just the mention of their name?

Hands up – who never get tired hearing your parents’ or grandparents’ stories of the ‘old days’?

I bet there are a lot of hands up right now. Grandparents rock!

Unfortunately it’s not the case for everyone, but we never stop needing our parents, or our parents’ parents, however old we are. And this weekend is another chance to remind them all of that, especially if we have been a little slack on the appreciation front recently. Another chance to remind them that they sit at the heart of your family, no matter how many miles might be between you. To remind them that your kids adore them and love their old tales, traditions…and recipes!  So whether they live around the corner, in a different state, or in a different country, put the spotlight on Grandparents this weekend. Be together – be it virtually or physically. Cherish them! And learn from them, so that one day, our own grandbabies will not only know about them, but think we are that awesome too!