Today, September 10, 2023, is Grandparent’s Day. Both the readers of this blog know that Grandparent’s Day has it’s roots here in West Virginia. Grandparents Day is observed on the first Sunday after Labor Day in both the United States and Canada.
A day celebrating grandparents was a fairly new idea when West Virginia native Marian McQuade pressed the U.S. Senate to proclaim a special day for grandparents in 1978. That same year, President Jimmy Carter signed the bill into law proclaiming special recognition for grandparents throughout the land.
In the UK, grandparent’s day is the first Sunday in October. In Germany, Grandmother’s Day is observed on the second Sunday in October. Grandparents Day (Dia del Abuelo) is celebrated in Mexico every year on August 28.
In Latin America and Spain, grandparents are called abuela and abuelo, in Italy, it’s nonna and nonno, in Germany, oma and opa and in the US we call them grandma and grandpa.
A lot of famous people have been raised by their grandparents, including President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Nicholson, Carol Burnett and Willie Nelson.
The median age of grandparents today is 48 and about 10% of them have tattoos.
The official flower of Grandparent’s Day is the forget-me-not.
Of those asked, 72% think being a grandparent is the single most important role in their lives. If you are one, you probably agree with that.
Grandparents Day is a great excuse for family get-togethers — of course, so is every other day!!!
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