Celebrating Grandparents –
A holiday that often gets overlooked is National Grandparents Day. Celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day (which this year is Sept. 13), the holiday was created to remind grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents provide.
There are many fun activities and traditions that your children can do with their grandparents to celebrate the holiday. One is to complete a grandparent interview with a variety of questions. What were your parents like? Describe your childhood? What were your goals and aspirations? What advice do you want to pass onto your children and grandchildren? This will give your children a chance to see how the world has changed since their grandparents were young, plus give your parents an opportunity to share stories. Capture this on video and you will have a priceless family keepsake that will be enjoyed for generations to come. We have had some wonderful opportunities to do this over the last few years. I outlined a special time in my "Do you know your family story?" post.
Favorite Things to Do – Start a new tradition for Grandparent’s Day by taking photos of the grandchildren doing something Grandpa and/or Grandma love to do (gardening, playing cards, golfing, baking pies, dancing, etc.). Take that same photo every year, and keep them in chronological order in a Grandparent’s Day photo album. This will become a favorite tradition everyone looks forward to and a wonderful way to build a legacy of love.
Promises to Grandma and Grandpa – Find a glass or plastic jar and have your children decorate it with construction paper and stickers, or a strip of fabric/leather. Then, have each child write on pieces of construction paper some things they could help their grandparent’s do in the upcoming weeks: “I will help you rake the leaves” or “I will help you clean up the garage.” Give the rewards jar to them as a gift on Grandparent’s Day. This teaches children the virtue of helping others, which is sometimes the most valuable gift of all.
Many grandparents live far away. Take the opportunity to let them know you're thinking of them by filling a large manilla envelope with some special "Just because" notes. They'll cherish it forever. :)
Do you ever celebrate Grandparents Day? I haven't, but I sure am starting this year.
One never knows how much time we have left to cherish these multigenerational times together.
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