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In the News
GRANDPARENT'S DAY
Since 1978 the second Sunday in September has officially been know as Grandparent’s Day. Although growing in recognition, many Americans still do not know about the existence of Grandparent’s Day. But by setting aside this day each year, you can make it an important day in your family’s life. Grandparent’s Day is a day to recognize and appreciate the role grandparents and elders play in our communities and our families. Grandparent’s Day is a time for grandparents to get involved and share their love, support, wisdom and history with their grandchildren and family members. It can be a time to gather loved ones together and celebrate the importance of the connections between the generations. This Grandparent’s Day, September 10, 2006 plan a day to remember, and make it an annual event. Here are some suggestions to help you create a memorable day.
- Prepare your own personal history book or family tree and present it to your family. Although many of your life’s events may seem ordinary to you, they can be of great interest to your grandchildren and entire family. You can record your history in a personal history book or audiotape program, make a videotape of your own or enlist the help of a professional company. Creating family trees has also become easier by using any of the computer software programs now available.
- Prepare a recipe book and included treasured family recipes. Make copies of the book and give it to each grandchild or family.
- Get the family together and create a family time capsule. Have each family member collect 3 or 4 personal mementos and write a letter addressed to the future. Seal your time capsule and establish a time when it can be opened by a future generation- perhaps when the next generation become grandparents!
- Throw a “Grandkids Only” party including cake, ice cream, games and story telling. Make some of the stories about when you were young. Take plenty of pictures and enlist the older grandkids to help plan the next year’s event.
- Approach your grandchild’s school and suggest a Grandparent’s Day in the classroom. Schedule an open house for grandparents. Let the kids be the tour guides and hosts.
- Take your grandkids on a trip down memory lane. Together, visit the town where you grew up or spent time as a student or young adult.
- Have a professional portrait taken of you and your grandchildren- make this an annual event.
- If you have a shared interest with an older grandchild, take a class together. Enroll in a local community education program or sign up for private lessons.
- Make Grandparent’s Day the day you start an annual project with a grandchild. Perhaps it is constructing a tree house or fort, working on a ready-made craft, sewing a special outfit, or starting a holiday craft.
- Create coupon books for your grandchildren. Make the coupons redeemable for small gifts or activities you can do together. The coupons will continue the giving long after Grandparent’s Day is over.
- Start an annual tradition of having the grandkids make a set of lasting handprints or footprints for you. Display them in a special way that you can add to each yea
INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Teri Harrison is a wife, mother of 4, author and business owner. She has authored two books, The Grandparents’ Little Idea Book, and The Grandparents’ Memory Book: Did You Really Walk 5 Miles to School. Teri has also penned over 80 unique sentiments about grandparents and families. Her first poem was entitled, “Grandma’s Heart”, which was the inspiration for many of the works that followed. Teri and her family reside in Alpharetta, GA, where she and her husband run the day to day operations of their gift company, The Grandparent Gift Co. Inc. which creates and sells Teri’s writings in gift form. You can view Teri’s work at www.grandparentgiftcompany.com.
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