A GRAND HOLIDAY

by Marjorie Lee Chandler, author of AFTER YOUR CHILD DIVORCES.

On September 6, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed an important new proclamation officially declaring the first Sunday after Labor Day to be Grandparents Day. This year, Grandparents Day falls on September 7. If two generations follow you in your family tree, you have a special role. A role to take seriously and to celebrate.

Since you may need to take the initiative, it’s time to consider your options. Wanting to be more than a run-of-the-mill grandparent, you’ll look for ways to put a little pizzazz into your special day. If possible, you’ll enjoy some creative togetherness; or, if your grandchildren live too far away, you’ll mark the occasion by sending them something that uniquely describes you. Here are some ideas:

* Make a videotape of your day-to-day routine, with descriptive commentary about your work place or hobbies. End your “show” with a staged phone call to you grandchild.

* Create a useful wood craft and promise to build something together before Christmas.

* Design a personalized quilt, robe, or tote bag offering to teach your grandchild basic needlework skills.

* Sort through your old photos and put together a little album with captions that highlight past family celebrations.

* Ask your grandchild to make up a list of ten things you could do the next time you are together. Agree on the top three choices and make specific plans.

Longer-range grandparents projects might include:

* Begin a diary about your grandchild, noting his or her interests, dreams, likes and dislikes. Someday this will be a one-of-a-kind graduation gift.

* Propose a Family Hope Page on the Internet to keep your family circle in touch.

* Plan a family reunion for 1998 at a campground or conference center.

* Research and reproduce you family crest, or design one to usher in the new century.

Grandparents have a sterling opportunity to invest in future generations. After all, grandparents today are healthier, more active, and more financially secure than ever before. Grandparents have a lot going for them: experience, wisdom gleaned from both success and failure, and a long-sighted view of time.

If you became a grandparent in your mid-forties, you may well be a grandparent for half of your life. By what they do (or don’t do), grandparents send messages to the younger generation about their own future. Kids size up their grandparents and decide if getting older seems worthwhile. This year, make Grandparents’ Day a fun-filled, memorable family holiday. If you do, your grandchildren will surely conclude that the senior members of their family are truly “grand.”

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