Celebrate Grandparents In September

With the kids nicely squared away back in school, it’s time once again to turn the spotlight on the grandparents who so often make things run more smoothly on the home front by pitching in with child care, homemade dinners or pet sitting. This Sunday, September 11 marks National Grandparents Day, an opportunity to let the grands know just how important they are in our lives.

The holiday has been celebrated in the United States since 1978 in an effort to remind us to take time to visit our elders and create opportunities to draw from their life experience. This Sunday, spend some quality time with a grandparent or other older adult who has stepped into the role of adopted grandparent in your family.

Try playing a classic board game together or watching a favorite old movie, share a hobby or pastime together, buy tickets for a baseball game or the theater or visit the nearest fishing hole. These activities will not only give older generations a chance to share stories and memories from the past, but create new ones to cherish.  Long distance grandparents can stay connected with video chats, phone calls and texts or old fashioned snail mail. By planning trips together and sharing activities such as a family book club, multiple generations will have something to new to talk about over a phone call.

Fun Facts About Grandparents:

• The average age of a grandparent in the United States is 48!
• More than half of U.S. grandparents are baby boomers.
• About 7 per cent (5 million) of American children are raised by their grandparents
• Grandparents are more active than ever. Nearly half exercise or play sports regularly.
• And they are tech-savvy too! Over 50 per cent share photos online and are active on social media.
• Don’t worry…grandma’s aren’t giving up the kitchen completely, more than 80 per cent still bake for their grandchildren.
• Grandparents love to spoil their grand kids; they spend $52 billion each year on them in the U.S.
• Most grandparents see their grandchildren at least once a week (70 per cent).

Source: The American Grandparents Association

For much for information and resources for grandparents visit: https://aga.grandparents.com/ .