by Louisa Threesixfour

Created on: June 14, 2008   Last Updated: June 17, 2008

The best Father's Day gifts aren't the most expensive but they do take some thought and effort, as well as time. Expensive audio equipment, a fancy watch, a large flat screen tv or a barbeque grill are really nice gifts but impersonal and don't last forever. Ties, shirts, coffee mugs, gag gifts, how many of those does a Father really need? What the father in your life really wants from his brood can't be bought at the mall.

Your time is probably the most meaningful gift you can give this special man in your life, especially if you've grown to the age where you are spending more time at school, with your friends or at work than you do with Dad. In the case of toddlers or young children Mom will have to help with this gift, but older children don't need too much help taking Dad fishing or to the movies. A nice idea is to make a coupon book containing things you would like to do with your dad like helping with yard work, or watching a special show; but this gift needn't be that fancy. A simple card, homemade or bought, expressing appreciation for all he does will bring a smile to Dad's face, especially if it comes with a note telling Dad you are going to spend his special day with him.

Homemade gifts from the heart are wonderful ways for children to express their thanks to Dad for the many things he does all year long. A gift my father cherished for years was a simple piece of clay with my kindergarten size handprint and my name. He used it as a paper weight on his big desk in his office. I found it after he passed away nearly 25 years later on his desk in his bedroom at home, along with the paper clip holder, painted rock and other assorted handmade gifts from my siblings. Spouses can offer similar inexpensive gifts of love on Father's Day. Make a special desert that is rarely served because of time constraints, or draw the man in your life a hot bath with relaxing bath salts and soft music and give him an hour to himself during an otherwise busy weekend.

None of these suggestions costs much in the way of money. They are meaningful and the best gifts to give because they are remembered. The tie I bought my father in a rush on the way home from college was no where to be found when we were going through his things. The expensive watch we all went in on was broken and tossed away in the back of a drawer, forgotten. The simple things are what my father kept safe and close. I don't think he was very different from most fathers.

When you think about it, what father wouldn't be happy to receive the gift of love and appreciation for Father's Day? These feelings can be shown in many ways and needn't be wrapped up and tied with a ribbon.

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