My son and his family live in the small community of Durham, just south of Chico, California. For the past four years I have attended the annual Grandparent’s Day at the Durham Elementary School (always an overflow crowd). My grandson Austin was there until last year, but he has moved on to Middle School. Grandson Zachary is still there however, in the third grade.

The third grade did an impressive job of singing patriotic songs and displaying the kind of coherence and energy that has contributed so much to this nation’s greatness.

The color and excitement in the large areas of art along the hallway walls brought this grandparent a lot of pleasure. The bench (lower right above) was provided for grandparents and children to have a free polaroid taken.

It was gratifying to see a wide range of art work in Zack’s class room. And I was deeply pleased by the “Recycle” poster in the hallway.

“Seriously Grampa, watch me climb this beanstalk.”

You may or may not be so fortunate as to have a grandson like Zack, but if you have grandchildren at all in his age range, I sincerely hope their school celebrates Grandparent’s Day.

It seems inevitable that the value of intergenerational relationships has been gravely challenged by the pace of marketing and rapidly changing technology. This has helped to create a knowledge barrier between generations, which allows the mistaken impression among the young that anyone who is not well-versed in current technology has nothing of real value to offer. Therefore, the essence of elder wisdom – a generative long-term view of balance and integration – may not be so highly valued and passed on.

And although Grandparent’s Day may not be a complete cure-all for the deficit described above, it is certainly a loving step in the right direction.