Every Day Is Special: June 9 – Children's Day in the U.S.A.

June 9 – Children's Day in the U.S.A.

Posted June 9, 2013

Before there was a Father's Day, there was a Mother's Day...

And before there was a Mother's Day, there was a Children's Day...

From the 1860s on, some people in the United States were celebrating Children's Day on the second Sunday in June—and some of them were also urging the government to make it an official holiday.

Some crotchety folks say, “Hey, isn't Christmas one giant Children's Day? Do we really need another?”

And of course, I could point out that not everybody in the U.S. is a Christian, and not everybody celebrates Christmas!

I wish I lived near Indianapolis.
I would totally take kids to this
museum on Children's Day!

Many countries celebrate a version of Children's Day—on days in November or August, April or October...It's a big deal, a national holiday, in Japan and is widely celebrated with special fun outings in Korea—both on May 5.

One thing that people who celebrate Children's Day say is that a nation's children are its future. And that is so true!

How do people celebrate Children's Day?

In the U.S., the answer is short and simple: most people don't. However, if we look to the entire world, we can see two sorts of holidays:

A day of togetherness – Parents take their kids on fun outings, spend time with them, play games with them. In some cultures, parents give their kids gifts.

A day about children's rights – People have activities meant to focus awareness on problems and discrimination that kids face. People also work to promote children's rights.