Bee Bee and Boo Boo?

Gram and Gramps?

Nana and Papa?

Nai Nai and Yeh Yeh?

Tita and Tito?

This Sunday, September 7, is a day to honor your grandparents, whether you call them one of the above combos or something else (my daughter calls hers Nonna and Papaw).

Think Grandparents Day is just another Hallmark Holiday? Think again, my friend. We celebrate Grandparents Day thanks to a West Virginia housewife, Marian McQuade. After 5 years of grassroots lobbying led by McQuade, then-president Jimmy Carter declared the first Sunday after Labor Day of each year National Grandparents Day.

Not convinced? Will the statement from Hallmark themselves do the trick?

Didn't think so, but you might want to read it anyway. First of all, I love that there is an official Hallmark rebuttal to the whole "Hallmark Holidays" thing. Plus, it employs a humble, "aw-shucks" tone that amuses me.

(sap alert)
Here's the thing about the so-called "Hallmark Holidays." While many of them are undeniably overblown and exploited for commercial purposes, they also have an effect that is very real (and very important) . They're a gentle reminder to recognize and honor all that your loved ones are and do. We're not talking expensive gifts or elaborate surprises here. We're talking a card and a visit (or a phone call).

Please excuse me while I step down from my soapbox...

What I'm getting at here is, call your grandparents this Sunday. It doesn't much matter what you call them (may I suggest the Esperanto, Avino and Avo?), just call them!

If you happen to already have kids, our Curriculum Collection has some great children's books about grandparents. Here are just a few examples:

• Grandparents! / Roser Capdevila, Anne-Laure Fournier le Ray., ages 3-5
• Grandpa has a great big face / by Warren Hanson ; illustrated by Mark Elliott, ages 3-5
  
• What Grandmas can’t do / by Douglas Wood ; pictures by Doug Cushman., ages 4-8
• What! cried Granny : an almost bedtime story / by Kate Lum ; pictures by Adrian Johnson, ages 4-8
• Grandpa for sale / written by Dotti Enderle and Vicki Sansum ; illustrated by T. Kyle Gentry, ages 4-8
  
• April foolishness / by Teresa Bateman ; illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott., ages 5-7
• Halmoni’s day / Edna Coe Bercaw ; pictures by Robert Hunt., ages 6-8
• Remembering Grandma / by Teresa Armas ; illustrations by Pauline Rodriguez Howard ; Spanish translation by Gabriela Baeza Ventura = Recordando a Abuela / por Teresa Armas ; ilustraciones de Pauline Rodriguez Howard ; traducción al español por Gabriela Baeza Ventura., ages 6-8
• In my grandmother’s house : award-winning authors tell stories about their grandmothers / edited & illustrated by Bonnie Christensen., ages 9-12
  

Last but not least, here a couple of grandparent-y links you may enjoy.

Official web site of the National Grandparents Day Council - http://www.grandparents-day.com/
Lyrics, .wav file, and diagram of the very silly song "I'm My Own Grandpaw" - http://gean.wwco.com/grandpa/
List of Grandparent nicknames from around the world - http://www.namenerds.com/uucn/grannyworld.html