Happy Grandparents Day

Did you know there are more than 70 million grandparents in the United States? I am one of them.

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the official proclamation declaring the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. That's the same year I graduated from Ohio University. Never thought much about the holiday since my grandparents on both sides were deceased and I wasn't even thinking about becoming a grandmother at the time.

According to the website, Grandparents.com, 43% became grandparents in their fifties, 37% in their forties, with the average age of grandparents in this country at 48. I becme a grandmother at 49. Other stats:

■72% take care of their grandchildren on a regular basis
■13% are primary caregivers
■60% live close to their grandchildren
■46% wish they could live even closer
■70% see the kids at least once a week
■66% travel with their grandkids
■81% have their grandkids for part or all of their summer vacation

On this day, I say Happy Grandparents Day! I salute every grandparent who has stepped up to the plate, sacrificed and helped make the life of a grandchild BETTER.

Are you one of them?

Happy Grandparents Day

I am a baby boomer. I am also a grandmother. Today has been designated as a special day for me and millions of others who walk in similar shoes. This is Grandparents’ Day

Grandparent's Day is celebrated in September, on the first Sunday following Labor Day. The idea to create the special day was originated by a woman named Marian McQuade. The West Virginia homemaker and mother of 15 children believed there should be a day to celebrate and honor the lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to encourage grandchildren to inherit the wisdom and heritage from their grandparents.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter made it a national holiday. National Grandparents Day was first celebrated on Sunday, September 9, 1979.

Some Grandparent facts:

According to the Census Bureau, there are 6.1 million grandparents who have children under 18-years-old living with them. I am a part of that statistic.

Thirty percent of all children are cared for by grandparents whose parents work outside the home.

The average age of a boomer grandparent is 53.4 years old.

Data shows nearly 40 percent of boomers are grandparents. In real numbers, that translates to roughly 30 million.

More than three-quarters (76.5 percent) of boomer grandparents own their homes, and 46.4 percent generate more than $50,000 in household income.

So, if you’re reading this and you’re a grandparent, Happy Grandparents Day and may God continue to give you the strength to persevere.