KINCARE SUPPORT

CELEBRATE GRANDPARENTS DAY by Gail Mitchell Gallagher

Published in the September 2020 issue of the Senior Times magazine.

Click HERE to read CELEBRATE GRANDPARENTS DAY in Senior Times.

National Grandparents Day is celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. Since it was designated by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 to recognize the importance and worth of grandparents, we have found various ways of honoring these special people in our lives. Other purposes of Grandparents Day give the grandparents the opportunity to show their love for their grandchildren as well as to help the children to recognize the wisdom older people can offer.

In 1970 Marian McQuade, of West Virginia started a campaign to introduce this special day for grandparents and in 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a grandparent’s resolution in the U.S. Senate and as a result, it is now celebrated internationally. The month of September was chosen to signify the “autumn years.” Churches, schools, and various organizations take time to plan special events around this time of year to honor grandparents.

Precious bonds are formed almost instantly between grandparents and grandchildren and no one seems to be able to explain exactly how this happens, however, we know that it is an extra special relationship that no one can deny. Grandparents Day sets aside this special day to bring families together to preserve and cultivate even deeper bonds.

People can create their own celebration on this special day or join with others around the country as candles are lit to honor grandparents and other caregivers who are raising children left without caring parents. These selfless caregivers, many who are seniors, are choosing to bless these children from broken homes, by taking them into their own home.

Grandparents all over the globe are reaching out to rescue their grandchildren when they are left abandoned or uncared for. Many grandparents live alone and many are even handicapped. Some have even had to go back to work, sacrificing much to provide for the needs of their grandchildren. These grandparents are saving our government thousands of dollars.

According to the latest U.S. Census, over 2.5 million grandparents are now raising their grandchildren. Some grandparents suddenly find themselves with children dropped on their doorstep and some see it coming from afar. Drugs, incarceration, teenage pregnancy, death of a child, mental illness, abuse and neglect can all be contributing factors in a grandparent becoming a parent again. We need better laws introduced to make it easier for grandparents to get access to their grandchildren in desperate need. A safe haven needs to be readily available for these children. What better haven than with a loving grandparent?

Many grandparents are refusing to turn their heads when they see the warning signals. They are stepping in and raising their grandchildren without hesitation. They know if they do not do something, someone else will, and they may never see their precious grandchildren again. Many have planned to retire and move to the mountains or to white sandy beaches, but have had to make a bittersweet u-turn and become parents again.

It is no easy task parenting the second time around, but many are doing it— I call them America’s heroes, doing for their own children what they cannot or would not do for themselves. These grandparents are saving America’s children.

Not only on National Grandparents Day, but every single day, may we acknowledge the sacrifices of all grandparents as well as the grandparents who are giving America’s children the hope of a future they rightly deserve.