<p>GoBlueAlumMom – what a fabulous gift – for both father and son. And I bet it made you feel great to be able to do this for both of them.</p>
<p>A week with no curfew.</p>
<p>Since you are already going to the football game, how about concert tickets? A video camera?</p>
<p>GoBlue-I just read your post! That is an amazing BD present, and a memory of a lifetime!</p>
<p>Digital camera
Laptop
Money For College
Open up an IRA for him, the sooner you start the better.</p>
<p>Those Bose headphones…S is a classical music addict. But who else wants to hear his music options? Sound is super quality plus they can also act as Noise Reducers when the guys on your hall are playing nerf ball outside your door but you are giving reading a go.</p>
<p>katliamom and NEmom…It definitely was worth the months of being on a top secret mission to get my hands on those tickets for S. and H. I couldn’t pass up such a rare opportunity…son’s 18th the same weekend and the event being held in our home state. Yes, it certainly was a memory of a lifetime!</p>
<p>Hey Faline2, I just bought those Bose headphones for a dear friend’s promotion to Sr VP of a big corporation…and there are 3 different options, $150 and $299 and $350…great for folks who fly all the time…and most gyms today have equipment with headphone plugs so you can watch the tv show of your choice as you work out…</p>
<p>UCSD and UCLA dad, I took my Maine born son out west to visit schools… we looked at both UCSD and UCLA …the physics program was of tremendous interest to us at UCSD and the Lure of LA was strong too… he ended up in New Haven, but I just redid the trip with S#2… we had dinner in Beverly Hills and stumbled on UCLA after as we drove around…</p>
<p>Tickets to a significant event, like SuperBowl are awesome…Eric Clapton is playing in Boston and NY soon…that is a concert that one will never forget…</p>
<p>let us know what you decide AvoidingWork…great screen name by the way…</p>
<p>I have the same problem! My son turns 18 in 2 weeks. I actually posted the same question on another thread (high school thread) but got very little response.</p>
<p>My son, too, already has an ipod, new cell phone, is buying his own new computer, etc. He works at Best Buy selling computers and is very up on all the latest stuff & specs, so I never can surprise him with any kind of equipment, since he always knows exactly which one he wants. </p>
<p>He has a good job so even just money is not really very special. The only thing he really wants is his own car (he has access to ours) but that’s not an option for financial reasons. And, he is not into sports. He is into music and gaming. But he doesn’t do itunes (he’s not into ‘hits’). A gift certificate for games would always work, so that’s about the only thing that seems to fit right now.</p>
<p>More important than the actual gift, though, is what to DO???</p>
<p>My son has a circle of friends whom he used to hang out with regularly. They would usually play video games or D&D. But, this past year some of the guys in the group got cars and discovered a new friend named Jack Daniels whose girlfriend is named Mary Jane. </p>
<p>My son is straightedge and doesn’t mind if his friends drink/get high but the friends seem to mind that my son is the only one who isn’t doing that. Also, the friends are now driving while they’re wasted, and my son is not willing to ride with them (which I am soooo thankful for!)</p>
<p>Consequently, he’s no longer part of that social scene. I’m hoping he will make new friends now that he’s going to the cc (12th grade dual credit) but that hasn’t really happened yet. He’s homeschooled so the cc is his only source for new friends. He just joined the PTK honors club so I’m hoping he’ll meet some new, college-bound friends there, but that doesn’t start for a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>He still has lots of female friends but most of them he dates (or used to date) so obviously they won’t mix. So he’ll have to pick one to hang out with rather than a group.</p>
<p>No family (who cares anyway) other than his parents, and our house got flooded awhile back and is under construction, so having a party at our house is not an option.</p>
<p>I wanted to make this event special and memorable. I wish there were a place here for teens to hang out, listen to music, dance, etc. - like a club but without the alcohol. But there is nothing like that, that I know of. I am incredulous that there are no teen hangouts in a city as large as San Antonio. I just don’t get it! What do the other teens do??? What do your kids / high school students do?</p>
<p>It’s a difficult time for him because turning 18 should be a special event, but for many kids it seems to be marked by their entry into the adult world of seeing how wasted they can get (while being mobile!). So now he is acutely aware of his need for new friends at a time when he’d like to share this event with some friends.</p>
<p>He does have a male best friend who hasn’t gotten into that, but he’s never available because his parents rarely let him do anything after bombing out of Rice last year. Hopefully he can go somewhere with my son for his birthday. But then, the question is still where?</p>
<p>Any suggestions would be appreciated!</p>
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<p>Ha, that is hilarious!!!</p>
<p><he’s homeschooled=“” so=“” the=“” cc=“” is=“” his=“” only=“” source=“” for=“” new=“” friends.=“”></he’s></p>
<p>Correction: he meets LOTS of new people on my space. But they are always girls! He has no shortage of dates. But, as I said, the girls don’t mix!</p>
<p>I’m posting as maineparent asked for an update. Again, I really appreciate the responses that I received on this thread. </p>
<p>Yesterday was my S’s 18th birthday. On Wednesday, there was a team dinner for the varsity football team, and I brought a birthday cake (in school colors of course) and the team sang happy birthday. On Thursday, the cheerleaders came by with a spirit card (a school tradition) and another birthday cake. I asked him to come by my house (he is at his dad’s this week) on Friday morning for a birthday hug and I had put up a ‘happy birthday’ banner which he appreciated. Friday night was the football game, and a group of my friends and his brother all came to cheer him on. Unfortunately we lost, but the team gave a good effort. Today, we are going to the CAL game with some of his friends and some family. I also have a tradition of buying birthday books for my Ss, and we will probably get together next week to open them. And finally, for the birthday present, the front runner idea is to go to whatever bowl game CAL plays in this year.</p>
<p>I think in summary, my present is to lavish attention on him and to really celebrate his birthday. The bowl game may be the ‘official’ present from me, but I think the whole package is the real gift.</p>
<p>Fabulous idea – and Go Bears!</p>
<p>That sounds like a GREAT birthday! I think it all worked out well. </p>
<p>Yesterday was ALSO my daughter’s 18th birthday! We both must have been giving birth at the same time! She was born right on the dot at noon. </p>
<p>She is a soph in college six hours from home, however, so I did not see her and only got to speak to her for a couple of minutes as she was in school the entire day for nine hours and then in rehearsal for at least four hours at night. </p>
<p>Often our kids’ birthday presents, as they have gotten older, are something they need or want and we actually discuss it and that part is no surprise. I can’t go around getting something BIG at any time of year for no occasion so their birthday is when that happens. Recently, older D turned 20, and her birthday present was the ski pass she is required to purchase to attend practices with her college varsity ski team (amazingly we have to pay for alot for college varsity sport…imagine the football players paying for field time out of their parents’ pockets). </p>
<p>For the 18 year old (I can hardly get used to saying that, lol), she wanted a plane ticket to FL over New Year’s to visit friends from summer camp and combine it with joining her collegiate a capella group at another location in FL for part of the time. We got her the ticket but it costs more than we can spend so it has to count for a chunk of her Hanukah present too. But since this gift is something we merely discussed, I still wanted her to have something to open, so I sent a little package of a bunch of earrings I bought her and stuff from The Body Shop…small items, though she loves these things and said so. Then I baked a cake and decorated it as she has gotten on every birthday and half birthday growing up and so I didn’t want her to miss having that since she is only turning 18 but lives far from home. I mailed it and it apparently got there in one piece and meant a lot to her and her friends thought that was cool. She said when she got out of rehearsal at midnight, friends surprised her and took her out to some late night place to eat and then went back to her apt. to have the cake I made. It had candles that spelled out “happy birthday” and also “18” and I decorated it on a theme to do with her major and the spelled out all the activities she is in at the present time. I think she had a pretty good birthday even if she was busy for most of it. </p>
<p>I think you are right that the “attention” you gave will mean the most of all. I couldn’t do that with my kid from afar (not that she’d have had any free time anyway!) but I think the cake, cards and little gifts let her know we cared and were there in spirit. Her sister sent her gifts from Italy (she is studying abroad) and got to speak to her and also treated her to a concert ticket the other night as a present. She said her apt. roomies bought her a blender which she thought was funny, like a wedding gift, but that they would all enjoy it! Grandparents and relatives sent other gifts. </p>
<p>Can you believe these kids are now, “adults”??? Shudder :eek:</p>
<p>Oops, a little late but…</p>
<p>When my godchild turned 18 many years ago. I took her to get her picture taken and to the Federal building to get a passport. Figured she may need it eventually if she wanted to go on spring break trips, college trips to Europe etc. Also gave her a small camera.</p>
<p>Flash forward to she now has a 2 yr old and mentioned last year that it was the best present she ever recieved. in her words: “You gave me the world”</p>
<p>My nephew is soon turning 18 and I plan on doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Rotarymom,</p>
<p>What a great idea. Thanks for posting that.</p>
<p>A great idea - and what a nice way to thank you for it all those years later.</p>
<p>A guitar. S had never played an instrument but loves music. He was totally surprised by the gift…went on to teach himself to play enough that he can jam with his friends. It’s a great stress-reliever.</p>
<p>This is off topic a bit, but my son turns 17 this spring-- and has to take the AP calculus exam on his birthday! Yuk!</p>
<p>For older s’s 18th, we took him and his then girlfriend out to a <em>very</em> nice restaurant for dinner, and then handed him (at dessert) a birthday card with a large check inside of it. It wasn’t as memorable as the Superbowl, but it wasdefinitely appreciated none the less.</p>
<p>Shortly after I graduated I received a fountain pen from a relative. I really fell in love…a new (though potentially expensive!) hobby. </p>
<p>A really nice pen can make note taking and writing out assignments much less arduous…and though I used to sometimes have some pain associated with writing, fountain pens do a great job of eliminating that problem.</p>