Grandparents Day

IN the 70s, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, a housewife in West Virginia, United States, initiated a campaign to draw attention to the plight of the elderly in the hope of establishing a national day in their honor. In 1973, the day was launched in her home. Recognizing the wealth of wisdom and invaluable guidance that the elderly can impart to the young, especially to grandchildren, she lobbied policy makers of that time. Her cause reached Senators Jennings Randolph and Robert Byrd who formulated a resolution calling for Grandparents’ Day to become a national holiday.

In 1979, US President Jimmy Carter, in Proclamation 4679, declared the first Sunday after Labor Day each year as National Grandparents Day. The month of September was chosen to signify the “autumn” years of life. What started as a housewife’s campaign led to a global event, which many countries of the world, including the Philippines, celebrate annually on this day: Grandparent’s Day.

Over the years, people have become more creative and innovative in the way they celebrate the day. These include youngsters making family trees and tracing and learning about their grandparent’s heritage and history; families spending time together to listen as their elderly relatives tell stories; and youngsters volunteering to spend part of the day with elderly people at nursing homes. There are schools that organize special activities or assemblies where students are asked to invite their grandparents. Some towns hold special events on Grandparent’s Day.

In the Philippines, where families are close-knit and extended, grandparents have a special place in Filipino households. They serve as bridges to the past and the future. Commonly addressed as lolo/lola, amang/inang, tatay/nanay, ingkong/impo, among others, they are wellsprings of wisdom and an invaluable source of guidance. They also usually help take care of small kids, while the latter’s parents are at work.