Riddle me this...The official days for mothers and fathers each have this one, but the day for grandparents has none. What is it? Let's see, Mother's Day has mothers, grandmas are also mothers...it's not that. Father's Day has fathers, grandpas are also fathers...it's not that either. It's an apostrophe! Yes, just a little bit of electrifying trivia to spring at your next cocktail party. Officially, Mother's Day and Father's Day were proclaimed with apostrophes in their spelling, but Grandparents Day was not. It's unclear if this was intentional or an oversight but apostrophe or not, the meaning of the day remains the same, to acknowledge grandparents and celebrate family.

National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day. According to the National Grandparents Day Council web site, the purpose of National Grandparents Day is "to honor grandparents," to "give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children," and "to help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer."

Lobbying for such a day began in 1970 with Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade. A West Virginia housewife, she envisioned a day to honor grandparents for the vital role they play in society and for the important contributions to the family they make. Having worked with senior citizens since 1956 and being passionate about improving their welfare, McQuade hoped the day would bring recognition to lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped the day would encourage younger generations to "adopt a grandparent" for long term in order to learn from, and give to, those seniors with no one nearby or no family at all.

McQuade began her campaign for Grandparents day in 1970 in her local area. By working with civic, business, church, and political leaders she expanded the effort statewide and in 1973, West Virginia Governor Arch Moore proclaimed the first Grandparents Day. At the same time, U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph introduced a resolution in the United States Senate to establish a National Grandparents Day. McQuade worked tirelessly to contact political figures in every state and used media sources to promote and gain publicity for the resolution. Five years later, Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day to be National Grandparents Day. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed in to law National Grandparents Day, thereby making McQuade's dream a reality.

The symbols of National Grandparents Day are, not surprisingly, grandmothers and grandfathers. Additionally, there is also an official flower and song assigned to this day of grandparental recognition. The flower is the forget-me-not and the song is "A Song For Grandma And Grandpa" by Johnny Prill. In the United States, grandchildren typically send their grandparents a card, call them on the phone, or give them a small gift such as flowers or candy. Canada officially adopted National Grandparents Day in 1995.