Mother’s Day has passed, the end of May is upon us, and that means that Father’s Day is coming up. With that came the bi-annual conversation (the same conversation that happens at Christmas time) of what my husband would like as a gift.
Me: “Do you think you’d want something like this?” I ask, pointing at a really cool gadget for the grill. In my head I’m thinking maybe this would help him make sure the chicken kabobs and burgers are actually cooked rather than still raw on the inside.
My husband: “I dunno. Maybe someday.”
What?! Why the man can’t just give me some ideas of what he’d like, I’ll never know. Not that I would necessarily buy him exactly what’s on his list, but I would love ideas of things he’s interested. Unfortunately, my dad isn’t much better. Seems like a common thread among the dads in my life.
I’m here to help! Here are five gift ideas for the dads in your life!
The Techie Dad
I know of a few dads who always want to be on the cutting edge of technology. They want the latest, greatest, and to be trying out all of the new features. I don’t always understand all of their gadgets, but there is something about watching them try to explain whatever the gadget does that you can just see the excitement in their eyes.
Although Tile has been around for a while, I found this Tile Slim that I know some dads would love (and really benefit from). Tile is known for helping you locate things that may be easily lost or misplaced such as keys or your phone. With the Tile Slim, it’s made to fit in a wallet – only the thickness of two credit cards! The dad in your life can’t find where he last set down his wallet (or maybe the kids got a hold of it and hid it somewhere)? Enlist the help of the Tile to find it!
The Bookworm Dad
I have three great book recommendations for the dads who love to sit down and read to relax. These are sure to help bring a smile and take their minds off the stress and busyness of the days.
How to Traumatize Your Children: 7 Proven Methods to Help You Screw up your Kids Deliberately and with Skill, Knock Knock
If you could roast parenting styles, this would be the book. This humor book uses all the parenting styles as an instructional manual for messing up your kids, so a sense of humor and sarcasm is a must. This is the perfect read for a new dad who is still trying to find his footing. If he can find the humor in sarcasm, he will find that no single parenting style is perfect and he’s doing a great job loving his kids.
Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me and You, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Before his international success with Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring people with words of encouragement on Twitter every morning and evening. This kind of Shel Silverstein-esque book collects some of Miranda’s favorites into one place. Read a little at a time for encouragement whenever you need it.
I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons, Kevin Hart
My husband and I love Kevin Hart. I’m not sure there is a movie or comedy show of his that we’ve watched and haven’t enjoyed. We especially love watching when he does movies with The Rock – the two of them have a way of playing off each other that is fun and unique.
With all of that being said, I’ve heard the stories about when he was first starting to get off the ground in the comedy world. I saw him talk with Jerry Seinfeld on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and know that this book will be incredibly interesting and inspiring. If you have a man who loves to laugh, this motivating book will have them smiling all the way through.
The Foodie Dad
Some dads love to cook. Some dads only grill. Some dads would rather just eat. In my view, all of these dads can be foodie dads. And if the dad in your life only cooks one day a year – on Mother’s Day, then these gift ideas are still sure to help!
The first is a one-of-a-kind apron. Instead of a clever saying or pattern, this set of aprons (BBQ, full length, and waist) has measurements and cooking guides that you can reference while wearing the apron. Need to know how to tell how well the meat is cooked? There’s a guide for that! Quick marinade recipe? Check the apron! Everything your man may need to know in one easy to reference location!
There are two things I look for when looking for a cookbook. One, there must be plenty of pictures. If there aren’t pictures for a majority of the recipes, then I’m cooking blind and am going to be guessing at what the final product should be. Two, the instructions must be clear and simple. When you have multiple sentences per instruction line for a recipe, the actual thing you are supposed to do gets lost. In cooking, sometimes it can be a matter of seconds when you should do the next item.
The Food Lab passes both of these tests and has the added factor of explaining the science behind what makes a dish they way it is. If your foodie dad likes to understand how things work and why things are the way they are, they are sure to find this cookbook intriguing.
The Sports-Fan Dad
One thing that my husband loves to do that I just can’t understand is that he saves his movie tickets and other event tickets. I am not sentimental in that way, but I know of several dads who are like that. If you have a guy in your life who is like this, check out this Ticket Stub Diary.
This book has sections for every kind of ticket stub, from sporting events to concerts or movies. Safely store ticket stubs with a brief description of the event so that they don’t get lost on a desk or in a box.
The Dad Who Has Everything
I tend to think of my dad in this category. This is the type of guy who has everything he could want, doesn’t ask for much, and is generally unhelpful in the gift-giving department. When you ask them what they might want, their typical response is, “I don’t know. I’ll like whatever you find.”
Thanks. That was oh so helpful.
For this dad, it can often be hard to find something reasonably priced. Many unique gifts are either cheap and kitschy or expensive. But here is a gift that is guaranteed to keep giving. Most dads that I know will list at least one Mel Brooks film as among their favorites. So with that in mind, check out The Mel Brooks Collection – 9 of his most popular films all in one set! You can’t go wrong with a collection that includes Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights!
The categories may have sounded like the beginnings to a Spice Girls spin off group, but they are also groups that I felt cover the most interests that a guy might have. There is a little something for everything to say “Thanks for being the best dad!”
Happy Father’s Day!