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Shopping for Father’s Day has always been the worst for me. Just when I though it couldn’t get worse, I got married. That made two fathers to shop for, my dad and my father-in-law. Hold the presses, my husband and I had a beautiful daughter which now makes 3 fathers! While every June everyone is excited about summer, I am trying to keep my sanity. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t all the worst people to shop for. Here is what I learned to keep me from pulling my hair out. Begin by asking, what would you like for Father’s Day? Example #1- my loving father. He ALWAYS says “whatever you would like to get me" which drives me absolutely crazy. I know he’ll appreciate whatever I give him, but I would like him to be excited. I can safely say, that if you grew up with your Dad than you know what he likes. Stick with that. I made the mistake of trying to switch it up. Big mistake! He was so used to getting the cologne that he loves every year that when he didn’t get it, there was slight disappointment. Needless to say, that was his Christmas wish. I made things more difficult than they needed to be. My advice, stick with what he likes, UNLESS he requests something different. That brings me to Example #2- My wonderful father-in-law.
While he may be wonderful, shopping for him is less than. He is what most people would call “picky". For example, before he became my father-in-law, my husband bought him a costly authentic sports jersey that he wanted. It is now in my closet unused and brand new. It was the wrong color. He also has a pair of brand new leather shoes that are unused. Last year, we gave him a T-Shirt with my daughter’s picture on it (he is obsessed with his only grandchild) and he has it neatly folded in his dresses drawer- you guessed it unworn. While the T-shirt may be unworn because he doesn’t want to wear it out, you still get the picture. He is difficult to shop for. While asking him what he would like may open the floodgates, this may still be the best option to getting him what he wants. This year he told me exactly what he wanted and I made it a point to ask as many questions as possible so that there will be no mistakes. I found what he wanted and hope it works out for the best. My advice ask as many questions to get it right.
Last but not least is Example #3- my husband. He always says he wants nothing but he really means is I want blah, blah, blah. He is a combination of Examples 1 and 2. So use advice that I have given for both examples. Ask what he wants, listen to clues and use experiences or what you know he likes. For instance, my husbands recently told me he doesn’t want anything for Father’s Day, but mentioned a few DVDs he would like to purchase. He is an action movie junky. He loves adding DVDs to his collection and I know what he already has and wants. I once made the mistake of buying any action movie. Those DVDs have yet to be opened. My advice is the one and two punch. Advice for example 1 or 2 isn’t enough. You have to do both. Stick with what you know he likes and listen for clues, ask questions.
The only thing left to do is see if this advice actually works! |
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