This week, in the countries of South Korea, the Philippines, and in the United States, people celebrate “Parent’s Day”. This seems like a strange holiday, but it is a holiday that we have had in the world for many years. Of course we know about Mother’s Day from this month, and next month is Father’s Day. But what is this “Parent’s Day”?

Parent’s Day was created in South Korea in 1973, but it did not become a bigger known holiday until President Bill Clinton made it a holiday in 1994. There are several reasons why the idea of “Parent’s Day” might be more popular than “Mother’s Day” or “Father’s Day”.

It is true that most people have two parents. They have a mother and a father. Most people live in the same home as both mom and dad, but more and more this is not always true. There are many homes that are single mother homes, or single father homes. Sometimes parents separate. Sometimes the family has a different shape. In some cases, a child may be raised by people who are not connected through blood. Some children do not know their mother or do not know their father.

But for many children, sometime in their life, they will have an adult who is their parent. It could be someone that they think of as their mother. It could be someone that they think of as their father. The holiday, “Parent’s Day” was made so that children could more easily celebrate and appreciate the adults in their lives that help them and support them.

We know that you are here because your parents help you. You are here today because an adult in your life, or parents in your life, supported you. Your mother, or your father, or your grandmother, or your grandfather, or a family friend, or a relative, cares about you very much and they want you to be here at school today. You may have one parent in your life, you may have more. In both cases, it is important to know that you are special to someone.

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Parent’s Day are times that we appreciate the people who supported us before, and who support us now. If you have a chance, I hope that you can say “Thank you” to the parents who help you every day.

Sometimes we get very busy. We have classes, and we have homework, and we have club activities, and we have after school study, and we can forget about our parents. Sometimes our parents cannot be with us now. But in all these cases, it is a good thing to remember that we come from people before us. We come from our parents.

Maybe we do not think like our parents. Maybe we do not think the same way that the old people before us thought. Maybe we have different ideas about what is good and what is right.

Today you are here because of the parents, and the grandparents, and the people before them lived and support you. You are the voice of everyone who lives before you in your family. You are the result of all those years. You are the result of everything before today. That is a very beautiful thing. That is also a thing that has a responsibility.

You and I must try to be good people. You and I must try to do the right thing. You and I must try to keep our world in peace. You and I must live with a grateful heart to our parents before us and to the future that we have today and tomorrow.