Sept 7, 2008 marks Grandparents’ Day in the United States. While this innocuous holiday is overlooked by most of the population, those with children understand just how important it is to honor the family members who not only raised us to be parents, but love our children as dearly as we do. This year, find a gift idea that is truly special.

Picture Collage
Grandparents love pictures, but on this special occasion don’t just present them with snapshots. Create a full picture collage of a special event, a single photo shoot or perhaps a montage of photos showing your children together with their grandparents.

Grandparent Letter
Your baby might not be able to speak a word, but you can help put words in her mouth. On a heavy sheet of paper, write a short letter thanking your parents for all they do in the life of your child. Write it from your little one’s perspective and then sign it with her handprint.

Figurine
There is something especially meaningful in the beautiful figurines of parents and grandparents with children. These mementos are always a perfect gift, but there is no better time to find a beautiful statue of a grandmother and child than Grandparents’ Day.

Grandparents have an incredibly special place in the family. Not only do grandparents love their grandchildren freely and openly, they are also free to enjoy the children without having to worry about actually raising them – in most cases.

Grandparents have seen much of the world and lived through times their grandchildren can only dream of. For this reason, the perfect gift for grandparents to share with their grandchildren is the gift of a legacy.

A legacy can take many forms, but it boils down to something that can be passed down through the generations that holds memories, traditions and stories. To create a simple legacy, you might purchase a grandparent’s book, similar to a baby book, and start jotting down your earliest memories and important events you bore witness to.

Think of how fascinating it would be to know how your own grandparents did in school, what they learned, what their hobbies were and how their lives were in general. You are in the position to share this information with your own grandchildren and should – be it written down or recorded on a tape or CD.

A study was recently performed in the United Kingdom that has very applicable meaning around the world. The study by Oxford University found that grandparents who are actively involved in a child’s life have an incredibly important role that can increase a child’s security and well being.

For a grandparent to have such a profound impact on a child, the older adult must take an active role. That means she’s not just loving on her grandchildren, but she’s showing that love by taking them to the neighborhood swimming pool, taking Junior to soccer practice on occasion and cheering the loudest at the weekend games.

The study found what most parents already know. When two parents are working, there are gaps in how much the parents can do with the children. Active grandparents fill these gaps making the child extra secure in the amount of love and support he has from all the caring adults in his life.

Even children whose parents divorce fair much better both in the short run and long run as they have a soft layer of protection in the form of their grandparents. Further, grandparents are vital as children age. Older children and adolescences are more prone to tell their thoughts and feelings to grandparents than their parents.

If you have active grandparents living nearby, count your blessings many times over.