Why Do We Celebrate Grandparents Day?
Grandparents Day started with the idea of honoring the elderly and championing the cause of the lonely in nursing and retirement homes. Marian McQuade, a housewife from Mountain State, brainstormed the idea, which was later to become a nationally recognized holiday, thank you to President Carter in 1978. Now the holiday is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labour Day, in September among the first vacations of the academic year that greatly affects most students.
McQuade, the master founder of Grandparents Day, is the mother of fifteen children, grandmother of forty, and great-grandmother of three. With so many descendants, she was cognisant of the special bond that children should have with their grandparents. While mothers and fathers are the main source of discipline and example in a child’s life, his or her grandparents have a profound affect on viewpoints. Without the wisdom of the grandparents, many children today wouldn’t understand what it was like to grow up without the technology and amenities of today’s world and wouldn’t appreciate what they’ve nearly as much.
Another reason to celebrate our grandparents on Grandparents Day is simply because they help to raise us and shape us into the men and women we’ll become. It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child, and in many families, grandparents baby-sit and share in the responsibility of “bringing up baby”. With both parents entering the workforce today, coupled with rising daycare costs, retired grandparents have become perhaps the most dependable source of daily childcare, meaning they’re becoming more prominent in children’s lives. And, while they’ve already raised a family of her own, most grandparents are willing and even eager to participate in their grandchildren’s care and development.
Grandparents are extraordinary people. They’ve stories to tell that expand our horizons and views of life formed through years of experience that we cannot begin to fathom. We should feel lucky to benefit from this, and our grandparents feel privileged to be able to share these experiences with us. Overall, grandparents are a great resource for us, and if we can celebrate mothers and fathers, we can definitely recognize grandparents for their accomplishments in life.
Tags: family, grandparent, grandparents day, holiday, party, recreation
