Sunday is National Grandparents Day. A time for grandchildren across the country to honor their grandparents.
There is a special bond that can only be shared between grandchildren and their grandparents. Grandparents are full of hugs and kisses, family history, wisdom, patience, love, and guidance. National Grandparents Day gives grandchildren the opportunity to show love and appreciation to their grandparents.
Celebrated in the United States since 1978, the United States Senate and President Jimmy Carter nationally recognized Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia as the founder of National Grandparents Day. McQuade made it her goal to educate the youth in the community about the significant contributions that seniors have made throughout history. It was also her hope to have the youth “adopt” a grandparent, not just for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime.
In February of 1977, Senator Randolph along with the concurrence of other senators introduced a joint resolution to the Senate requesting the president to “issue annually a proclamation designating the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year as “National Grandparents Day”.
The statute cites the day’s purpose: “…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”.