Have you considered doing something to celebrate Grandparents Day?
National Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day and has three purposes:
- “To honor grandparents.
- To give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children.
- To help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.”[1]
As family historians, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about our grandparent’s lives, interview our grandparents, or even document our grandchildren’s grandparents! Here are a few ideas to get you started.
If You Have A Grandparent
Are you lucky enough to have your grandparents around? Now is a good time to sit down with them and ask a few questions. Don’t feel overwhelmed by conducting a “formal” interview. Even a casual conversation where you ask about a time in their life, an event they experienced, or “where were you on” a specific day can lead to genealogical information. Use your cell phone to record their memories (with their permission of course). Really listen to what they say and then ask follow-up questions including whether they still have photos of that event or time. Don’t worry if you can’t travel to talk to them in person. Use email, Skype, FaceTime or other technologies to be with them virtually.
One of my favorite memories of my dad before he passed away was being at the hospital with my oldest son when my dad started telling stories about his parents (my grandparents) that I had never heard. Lucky for me my son had thought to ask and audio record my dad telling those stories. While we didn’t aim to do an “interview” just a few questions led to him telling family stories.
If Your Grandparents Aren’t Around
If you’re like me, your grandparents may no longer be around to talk to but this day is a good reminder to go over the genealogy you’ve already collected and see what else you can add. Do you have a copy of their marriage license? What about birth certificates? Have you checked digitized newspaper and book websites for mentions of their names, events they were a part of, or where they lived? Consider some time exploring an aspect of their life in more detail like their occupation or memberships. If you knew your grandparents, write down your memories so that the next generation can benefit from it.
If You Are A Grandparent
Now’s the time to tell your story! Don’t think for one minute that your life is not interesting enough or you have nothing to pass on to your grandchildren. How much would it mean to you to have a letter, story, or diary from your grandparents? Even if your grandchildren are too young to appreciate that gift now, they will one day be grateful.
Don’t feel overwhelmed with the task of writing your story. Take one incident, event, or day in your life. Think about what your grandchildren will or are experiencing and write about how that same event impacted you. Such experiences might include graduating from high school, going to college, getting married, or the birth of your first child.
Happy Grandparents Day!
[1] “The History of Grandparents Day,” Legacy (https://legacyproject.org/guides/gpdhistory.html: accessed 30 August 2019).
Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.
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