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“Mimi!” “Gigi!” “Grandpa!”
Those were the words being shouted by Mansfield ISD children this week with big smiles plastered across their faces.
The students at Nancy Neal Elementary School and many campuses across the district celebrated National Grandparents Day, a day in which grandparents and grandfriends can celebrate intergenerational relationships and family time.
“It’s a special day in my heart because I’m very close with my grandparents, and I feel like it’s a great way to bring our grandparents into the classroom and into our school… and spend some quality time with them,” said Lesley Norris, librarian at Neal Elementary School.
Grandparents and grandfriends of Neal Elementary School were invited to eat lunch with their grandchildren.
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| Dill said she used to travel from New Braunfels to celebrate the school's Grandparents Day. |
Afterward, they were welcome to go into the library to participate in the book fair.
“I’ve been going to Grandparents Day for five years,” said Ellen Dill, a grandmother of a fourth-grader. “It’s just another bond between the grandparents. [My granddaughter] gets all excited about it. It’s a little reminder that she knows she’s special.”
National Grandparents Day falls each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The purpose of the holiday is to honor grandparents, give them 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.
“I always tell my kids if their grandparents live far away or if they’re not close by, call them on the phone, tell them how much you love them and just share that special moment with them,” Norris said.
Norris added that it warms her heart to see the grandparents and grandfriends interact with each other. She said that is her motivation behind coordinating the event each year.