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Thursday
March 28th, 2024

grandparentsELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

 

Many people have fond memories of their grandparents and today is the day to honor them, with today officially marking Grandparents Day on the calendar. 

Unlike Easter or Thanksgiving, however, Grandparents Day has only been around for a relatively short time. The roots of the holiday go back to 1956 and a West Virginia mother named Marian McQuade, according to an article from verywellfamily.com. 

“While helping to organize a community celebration for those over 80, she became aware of the many nursing home residents who were forgotten by their families,” the verywellfamily.com article noted. “She wanted a holiday to bring attention to these forgotten individuals and to honor all grandparents. In 1973, West Virginia became the first state to have such a day. McQuade and others then shifted their efforts to the national level, achieving success in 1978.”

Originally, according to an article from legacyproject.org, McQuade wanted Grandparents Day to be a family day.

“She envisioned families enjoying small, private gatherings, perhaps even a family reunion, or participating in community events,” the legacyproject.org article noted. “On a societal level, National Grandparents Day gives us a chance to publicly affirm the identity and importance of grandparents, that they do play a vital role in families. It is also a day of giving – giving of self; sharing hopes, dreams, and values; and setting an example and advocating for future generations. Generations United in Washington, DC encourages all ages to engage in intergenerational civic engagement for the entire week following National Grandparents Day.”

flower basket article

Ultimately, National Grandparents Day was finally signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, with part of the original proclamation reading “Grandparents are our continuing tie to the near-past, to the events and beliefs and experiences that so strongly affect our lives and the world around us. Whether they are our own or surrogate grandparents who fill some of the gaps in our mobile society, our senior generation also provides our society a link to our national heritage and traditions ... We all know grandparents whose values transcend passing fads and pressures, and who possess the wisdom of distilled pain and joy. Because they are usually free to love and guide and befriend the young without having to take daily responsibility for them, they can often reach out past pride and fear of failure and close the space between generations.”

According to  the legacyproject.org article, McQuade was very happy upon hearing the news.

“Since the holiday’s inception, Mrs. McQuade has been firm in her view that the holiday should not become overly commercialized, and that young and old remember its fundamental spirit,” the legacyproject.org article noted. 

And along with Grandparents Day, the legacyproject.org article continued, McQuade spent much of her life advocating for older adults. 

“In 1971 she was elected Vice-Chair of the West Virginia Committee on Aging and appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging,” the legacyproject.org article  noted. “In 1972, Mrs. McQuade’s efforts resulted in President Richard Nixon proclaiming a National Shut-in Day. She served as President of the Vocational Rehabilitation Foundation, Vice-President of the West Virginia Health Systems Agency, and was appointed to the Nursing Home Licensing Board, among many other involvements.”

That involvement, the legacyproject.org article  noted, appears to have been inspired by her own grandparents. 

“After working all day on the farm, Grandma would walk off to visit elderly people in the community,” McQuade recalled in the legacyproject.org article. “Often I would tag along. I never forgot talking with those delightful people. That’s where my love and respect for oldsters started.”

And Grandparents Day is not just celebrated in the U.S. According to the legacyproject.org article, Canada recognized the holiday beginning in 1995. 

“Grandparents Day was recognized in Canada in 1995 as falling on the second Sunday in September to acknowledge the importance of grandparents to ‘the structure of the family in the nurturing, upbringing, and education of children ...’” the legacyproject.org article noted. “Commented one member of Canadian parliament speaking on behalf of the motion: ‘I do not hold grandparents to be glorified babysitters but rather as parents’ surrogates who bring love, a continuance of generational values, and a sense of the child’s worth to the integrity of the family... I was brought up by a grandparent. My parents both worked outside the home for most of my life. They needed to for economic reasons. It was my grandmother who nurtured me, gave me a sense of worth and molded in many ways the course my life was to take. My grandmother was my role model, my mentor, and my confidant.’”

Grandparents Day is also celebrated in some different ways, such as family meals and/or family reunions, according to the verywellfamily.com article, and has managed to avoid the exploitative nature of other holidays. 

“It is true that some families celebrate by giving gifts to grandparents. It is equally in keeping with the spirit of the holiday for grandparents to give gifts to their grandchildren, especially gifts that celebrate family traditions,” the verywellfamily.com article noted.  “Maybe the main reason that Grandparents Day has escaped commercial exploitation is holiday burnout. Maybe time-poor parents simply don’t have room on their calendars and in their brains for another holiday. If that is the case, grandparents still shouldn’t let the occasion go by unnoticed. Most of the younger generation will be happy to participate if they don’t have to plan. And according to the Web site of the National Grandparents Day Council, McQuade refused all royalties and donations associated with her efforts and spurned overtures from Hallmark. Remember that one of the purposes of the holiday is to give grandparents a chance to show their love for their grandchildren.”