Take Them Fishing on National Grandparents Day 2023

You probably know that as a society we’re in the midst of a grandparental population explosion. Many children today have five, six, maybe eight people in their lives who fill a grandparental role. That’s a lot of folks to connect with on National Grandparents Day 2023. And not all of them will live or be close enough on Sunday, Sept. 10, to interact with in person.

So what is national grandparents day? Not everyone’s aware of it like they are some other secular holidays. National Grandparents Day 2023 happens annually on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It became a U.S. celebration in 1978 with a proclamation issued by President Jimmy Carter. I recommend you read the full text, but note that it included the following: “I urge each citizen to pause and to reflect on the influence his grandparents have had in shaping his own destiny, and on the legacy bestowed upon our contemporary society by his grandparents' generation.”

Carter also wrote, “As Americans live longer, more and more families are enriched by their shared experiences with grandparents and great-grandparents.” So Grandparents Day is an opportunity to spend quality family time together, and there are many ways to do that, whether in-person or remotely.

Since it is hard to expect younger grandchildren to initiate an experience on National Grandparents Day 2023, it strikes me that grandparents ought to take the initiative to connect with grandchildren, and while any time is good to do so, National Grandparents Day 2023 is a fine occasion to share experiences. If you’re an angler, I’d say it’s a good day to take one or more of your grandchildren fishing, if you live close enough for this to be feasible.

Here are some brief thoughts about doing that.

• The weather is likely to be pretty good in most of the U.S., so fishing on Sept. 10, 2023 seems very reasonable.

• Since children will have been in school for a few weeks already, this is a good time to casually encourage their interest in school while fishing (their teachers will appreciate this!), even bringing science into the experience by talking about the waterbody you visit and how predators and prey relate to that environment.

• Go early in the day. This way, if fishing is a bust you can still do some other things in the day, not to mention take them for ice cream afterwards without upsetting dinner appetites. Just as important, early September is still summertime - when fishing early in the day often produces better action and is more comfortable.

• Bring an adequate amount of snacks and beverages that you know they like.

• Do everything that you can to make this a positive experience; if you do, you’re likely encouraging a future angler(s).

• Make this shared experience a subtle teaching moment, where you let them do the fishing and show them how to be good stewards of the environment. This will become part of your grandparental legacy.