Honor your grandparents by gathering their stories

As we all know, holidays and special days are often promoted for commercial purposes, but I guess if it helps us remember something we might otherwise overlook or take for granted, that's a good thing. One such special day, Grandparent's Day, is coming up on September 13. And while this day has not caught on in the same way as Mother's Day or Father's Day, it could be a good day for gathering grandparent stories (pass the word).

An article this week on Examiner.com, "Tweens: 5 Ways to Celebrate Grandparent's Day," cites the following statistics: "4 million children in 3 million homes are being raised by their grandparents. More than 5 million children live in a household with a grandparent present." But interviewing a grandparent is a good idea, whether they live in the home or not. The article itself is a little commercial, but it does offer some good ideas for children to connect with grandparents, and provides a link to downloadable book -- a   template children can use to gather a grandparent's life story. In addition to interviewing a grandparent and writing their life story, sitting together with grandparents and going through old photographs can be a unforgettable experience: photos are excellent memory triggers, and if you write down the stories as you go, or even better yet, record the activity and then write it down, you will ensure it's being "unforgettable" (and don't forget to back it up!).