<p>The title pretty much says it all…</p>
<p>Son is turning 18 soon and we’re trying to think of a gift. Something more than a typical birthday gift, but not something huge (like NOT a car! 
And our plan is a new laptop that he wants as a graduation gift, so not that either. Any ideas? He seems to have every regular gadget (ipod, smartphone, etc.) I know it’s a little hard not knowing him, but in general terms - what types of suggestions might anyone have in this regard?
Thanks!</p>
<p>We had the same dilemma when our son turned 18. He said he didn’t want a watch, and so after much discussion, we got him a new suit and dress shoes. Now admittedly this has come in handy in a couple of ways, (since when we went, a new navy blazer was also in the mix cause it was on sale). However, now he is asking for the watch! Go figure. So… in hindsight, we should have gotten him the good watch - something that he would always have - vs the suit idea. Not talking a rolex here, but there are options at just about every price point.</p>
<p>Perhaps a dorm-sized flat screen TV w/ a built in DVD player? Something like 32" or so.</p>
<p>do you think he might like a kindle or BN version of it? (I don’t remember what it’s called in BN). I just give a kindle to my 23 yo cousin. she loves it.</p>
<p>That’s a good one, HerandhisMom. A friend of ours was just telling us that’s what they gave their son for his. He loves it.</p>
<p>Yes!! </p>
<p>We gave our son the Sony Book Reader for Christmas. He loves it. </p>
<p>Costco has a package online - includes the reader, the cover, and the charger.</p>
<p>The new Apple tablet will be announced on Wednesday, it should be pretty cool and perhaps revolutionary.</p>
<p>At that age, my kids enjoyed receiving a gift certificate to an upscale restaurant for 2 people, with encouragement to take a friend (not us). For them, that was a sophisticated oportunity they couldn’t afford themselves. It also signaled that we knew their friends were important to them, and we didn’t have to be in on every experience.</p>
<p>One time, we gave double-tickets to a Broadway musical that was traveling through the region, again telling them to take a friend, not us. Get GOOD seats.</p>
<p>We do plenty with them, so it didn’t feel that we were shooing them away. If this idea fits your family, you might ask, “If you could have a ticket to anything this coming season, what would it be?” Then surprise him with two. You can give the gift on his birthday; it needn’t be used on that day.</p>
<p>I’m thinking tickets for your S & friend(s) to go to a sporting event (maybe even cash so he can treat for dinner). I know my S would love a night out & an NHL game.</p>
<p>I think a watch is a great idea, if he doesn’t have a nice one already. A nice watch is necessary when going on an interview, and trust me, it’s right around the corner for most college students. There are many “suit required” events on campus too. A digital watch or a plastic one just not going to cut it any mroe.</p>
<p>Is there a TV series that you both love? I gave my son the complete original Star Trek series and we’ve had a good time going through it together.</p>
<p>My S2 just turned 18. We gave him a gift card & “advantage card” that discounts lift tickets at a local ski resort. He and his friends have gone snowboarding several times. </p>
<p>For his birthday party, we had a digital scavenger hunt for two mixed boy-girl teams competing against each other. We created a list of items at our local museum, and the kids had to take photos of themselves or answer questions at various exhibits. We sent them off with digital cameras on public transportation with a 3-hour time limit. </p>
<p>They returned to our house at dinner time, wolfed down a bunch of tacos & pizzas, then hooked up the cameras to the TV with an AV cable. By the time we served cake & ice cream, they had uploaded all their photos to Facebook and were tagging each other. The winning team got a “goodie bag” with snack foods & a Starbucks gift card. (Gift cards to Subway or another food place also would have worked.) The kids had a blast & we parents didn’t have to worry about underage drinking or annoying the neighbors with an out-of-control party.</p>
<p>When S1 turned 18, we gave him a surprise party of a round of paintball for him and 15 friends. They drove to the place themselves (about an hour away), played, drove back, and had Mom’s (not-so-famous) spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner. </p>
<p>Paintball for 16 people wasn’t cheap (~$400, if I remember correctly), but it was lots of great memories. For S1, being with his friends is better than any material possession he could ever get.</p>
<p>My D used her own hard-earned money to take herself sky diving on her 18th birthday and have it video taped. In hindsight that would have made a nice gift if you have the stomach for it. I personally did not want to be the enabler for that particular adventure, but at 18 it didn’t require parental permission.</p>
<p>A keepsake gift that I’ve given several times is a compass, or compass keychain, engraved with initials or a message:</p>
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<p>If he loves gagets, maybe a GPS. If he doesn’t have a car, maybe one that has a walking option as well.</p>
<p>Experiences! Cheap flight to wherever. Day of snowboarding for kid and friend (lots of places have a bus you can book a seat so no teen has to drive up those icy roads). Day in the city. Kayaking lessons. Flight lesson. Day at a gamer convention.</p>
<p>My 18th birthday fell after I left for college and was in my dorm. My parents surprised me with balloons on the day of my birthday that came with a cute little teddy bear (that still sits on my dorm bed a year later).</p>
<p>They also sent me, about 5 days prior to my birthday, a HUGE box which had “Happy Birthday!” written all over it and a long tube. The tube was full of posters we had ordered but that the company wouldn’t deliver to my school. The box was full of stuff I had forgotten at home, and a couple of wrapped boxes.</p>
<p>I was sure that the one box was a pair of rain boots, which I had desperately asked for as I go to school in Northern California. </p>
<p>I called my parents (as they asked me to do) before I unwrapped the box. Tore open the wrapping paper and saw the Nintendo Wii logo.</p>
<p>Now there is a long-standing rule in my family that you NEVER trust the box, because at Christmastime they put things in whatever box is available.</p>
<p>So I opened the box, and sure enough, inside was my very own shiny Nintendo Wii. They also got me Wii Play and an extra controller (the system only came with one). I got Guitar Hero a couple of months later for Christmas (although note…Rockband has been much more popular and seems to have “won” among the college students at my school).</p>
<p>It was the biggest surprise I’ve ever gotten on my birthday, which is really saying something! They got a great deal on the Wii, I think at Toys-R-Us. Any type of game/video game related stuff is always good for someone who’s going off to college soon, IMO. The Wii definitely made us some friends in our dorm, and it’s a great stress reliever.</p>
<p>Very topical thread! I have one coming up next week, although now that the kids are older, we don’t surprise them much any more. Will basically ask for their input but this one says he can’t decide. (We also let them “put it in the bank”, so if they can’t decide what they’d like by bday, they can get something later.)</p>
<p>For those considering watches, be aware that few kids will wear them. Mine have gotten several over the years and they all quickly fell by the wayside. Two of them did get watches with a stopwatch feature for refereeing soccer games, and even then they won’t wear them, but carry them in their pocket.</p>
<p>Most kids use their cell phones as a watch these days. Sort of a return to the old days of carrying a pocket watch. ;)</p>