Father's Day Gift Ideas

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Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father's Day is the day when we thank our fathers for lending a helping hand with homework, bringing us to little league or giving us a hug after a long day. For all this and more, we'd like to dedicate this page to the best dads around.

If you haven't figured out what you would like to do for your dad this Father's Day, don't fret, we have dozens of things to do this year to make this day truly special.

 

Special Dads 

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Honoring Service kids on Father's Day 

Helping Kids Celebrate Father%u2019s Day When Dad%u2019s a Serviceman

Special honor is due to those men who serve their country and spend months at a time away from their families in order to defend our right to freedom. When Father's Day comes and they can't be home with their kids, it's difficult for those dads! But what about the kids they leave behind? They're missing out on precious time with their dads, and they should be recognized, too!

If you're a mom or a guardian of a child or children whose dad is overseas, there are a few things you can do to make Father's Day a less difficult day day for the kids, even if they can't talk to Dad.

Talk to teachers, coaches and leaders
About a month before Father's Day, talk to people. Talk to teachers, scout leaders, soccer coaches . . . anyone in your child's life who might be planning a Father's Day celebration or commemoration - and make sure the leaders in your child's life understand that your child has a special circumstance concerning Father's Day.

What leaders can do
You might suggest that the teacher make Father's Day crafts well in advance so you can add your child's special creation to the Father's Day care package you want to send overseas. Make sure the teacher knows that care package has to be sent at least three weeks in advance. You can also hint to the soccer coach that the planned father/child soccer match will be a bust, unless your child can hold a place of honor like referee or scorekeeper.

Special honors
You can also ask any leader if he or she can say a few words during a Father's Day celebration that will honor your child for the time he or she has had to give up with Dad over the months while he's been away. Getting some well-deserved recognition from people your child respects - not to mention from peers - will go a long way to making him or her feel better about the day. Instead of focusing on the fact that Dad's not there to share the experience, you'll find that your child is too busy playing hero to be sad.

Let your child take the lead
The care package was mailed three weeks ago and all the community Father's Day honors are past. But Father's Day hasn't actually taken place yet. How can you help your child celebrate Dad when Dad's not present? First, ask your child what he or she would like to do on Father's Day. Some kids might like to spend the day doing what Dad would have liked to do, and other will want to do anything but. You can't know how your child will react unless you ask them first.

Distractions
The kids who want nothing to do with the activities they might have shared with Dad will need some pretty strong distractions to keep them from slipping into the doldrums. Luckily, June is a great month for day trips and outdoor excursions. Try planning a trip to the science museum or to the zoo - something that is totally kid-centric and will help you have fun with your child. If a daytrip is out of the budget, plan to serve your child's favorite meal after an afternoon of Frisbee, movies, or baseball.

It may seem a little indulgent to honor your child on Father's Day, but the most important thing you can do is to respect and honor his or her feelings and the incredible strength shown every day while Dad's away.

Elizabeth Maxwell is a writer for the number one online Father's Day resource Fathers Day and More.com. Elizabeth's expert knowledge and devotion to family make her a popular resource around holiday times.

The Girly Girl's Guide to Father's Day 

Why potpourri and figurines aren't Dad's favorite gifts

If you have trouble coming up with the perfect Father's Day gift, you're not alone. Choosing a thoughtful gift for Dad can be fairly easy, but choosing a thoughtful gift that he'll like is another story.

Mushy yet manly
When we're buying gifts for Mom, sentimentality is often the guiding force. A delicate ceramic figurine that symbolizes your bond of friendship and trust will mean a lot to her. Try giving Dad the same gift you gave Mom and you'll get a confused look and a collectible item that sits in its box on a shelf in the garage. That's not to say that Dads don't appreciate sentimental gestures, you just have to know how to do it right.

Usually, men and emotions don't mix. They've got their own ways of telling the people around them that they care. A slap on the back, a cold beer, an awkward joke - those are Dad's ways of saying, "You're important to me." So how do you get your communication styles to mesh?

A personal gift is worth a thousand embroidered words
To some women, a fish gutting knife is not a gift that says, "Thanks for being a supportive and caring father." But to guys who love the great outdoors, this Father's Day gift is a statement that you really understand your dad.

To show Dad how much you care, you have to show that you get who he is. If he's into sports, tickets to a game, a jersey from his favorite team or a cushion for stadium bleachers are all wonderful gifts. If he's into techie gadgets, anything iPod, a laptop accessory or a digital camera memory card will leave him smiling.

The point is to think about the things Dad loves doing best and find gifts that relate. Does he barbecue dinner every night in the summer? Does a fine cigar make his weekend? Does he read The Economist cover to cover every week? Giving Dad a gift that reflects his hobbies and interests shows him that you love the guy he is and think he's altogether fabulous.

Say it right
The art of the Father's Day card is a subtle and difficult one to master. The same rules apply as above. If you and your dad don't exchange "I Love Yous" on a regular basis, an overly sentimental card may leave him uncomfortable and unsure how to respond.

We suggest finding a blank card with a nice design and writing in a few heartfelt words. Thank him for something specific like helping you learn to drive or supplying funds for extracurricular activities in college (shopping should be a sport). You don't have to go overboard on the mushy thoughts. A few phrases of appreciation

Working through Grief on Father's Day 

Father's Day took on a whole new meaning to me in 1994. I had just graduated from college in the fall of 1993. On something of a post-graduate whim, I had no job lined up but decided that I'd like to start my adult life in the place of my birth - Miami. Though I didn't have a job lined up and Miami was a full 24-hour drive away, my dad supported my decision (largely because he had sisters there who could keep their eye on me). He lined up a place for me to stay, he drove me the distance, and he filled my head with advice along the way. And the day he left for home he told me he was proud of me and knew that I'd be alright on my own.

82 days later, he died.

When Father's Day came along in 1994, I was still numb. I was working part time as a waitress at a restaurant, and I guess I thought if I worked that day it would take my mind off of having lost my dad. But it was tortuous to watch other families come in and honor their dads; especially the dads who were much older than mine. Some dads who came in to celebrate with their families were grumpy and some kids and wives just looked pissed off. I wanted to shake them all and tell them they were lucky to be alive and to have a dad - even if he got lost on the way to the restaurant or picked a place to eat that no one else liked. But I could barely look at anyone.

The next few Father's Days were tough. I remembered bickering with dad over my doing "man things" like sit ups and playing sports. I know I spent a lot of my teenage years being exasperated by his rules and refuting his arguments. But I saw more clearly while I was grieving that my dad was just trying to prevent the disappearance of his little girl. During the first few Father's Days without him, I lived with the knowledge that I ran to Miami and away from him. And that even though he knew his little girl was disappearing, he was nothing but supportive of me.

After I got married and had children, Father's Day changed again for me. I spent time planning the ways my children and I would honor their father. I spent time at the Father's Day greeting card counter again. I remembered my dad in many of the cards I read and some of the gifts I saw. But most importantly, I opened myself up to thinking of him without sadness, and to sharing stories of him with my children. Although we talk of him time to time throughout the year, on *Father's Day[Opening Up on Father's Day] I now take time to plan the stories that I'm going to tell my kids. They get to hear

by Tiffy

Fathers Day and More is the best resource for all your Father's Day needs. Whether you're looking for a unique gift opportunity or fun ways to celebra...

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