Daddy Issues

Let me tell you a funny story that happened last Sunday. On Saturday night, I had some friends over for a little birthday celebration. We had a few drinks, and we stayed up late. The next morning, my daughter Roberta tried to wake me up, but I couldn’t open my eyes. Then she “whispered” (note the quote, end quote): “Mom! Father’s Day. Here’s my card. Moooom, don’t close your eyes, Mooooom. Wake up!”. Father’s Day? Oh, yes! I jumped out of bed and half asleep I looked for his gift which luckily I had bought the day before. Darn! I didn’t buy a cupcake to sing to Happy Father’s Day – a family tradition. Oh well, recycled cake from last night will do. I gathered the kids. The other two wrote a quick note in a book we got him, and we began to sing. Happy Father’s Day to you… Did I mention it was 7 am? He was mumbling something, but we couldn’t understand. Wait, what? Oooooh. Today’s not Father’s Day. It’s next week. Oops, sorry.

A few weeks ago, I emailed some of my male friends to do some research regarding Father’s Day. Purposely, I wrote a (very) short email to ask them two questions: one, do you care about Father’s Day, and two, what would be the perfect present for you. I wrote to 12 friends including my husband. Do you want to guess how many responses I got? Ten? No. Zero? No! Have a little faith, come on! Five. I got five replies, but I guess no response it’s a reply itself. Sigh. Men. Not surprisingly, their responses were short and concise. “Yes, I do care. I don’t want a gift”. “I don’t care, but if they’re going to buy me something let it be from my Amazon wish list.” “I do care. I would like something handmade by my children”. “I don’t care about neither (but tell them to buy me something really expensive).” That last one was my brother…

Men and women are wired so differently. I wish you could read and compare the replies from my girlfriends for Mother’s Day. They were lengthy and passionate, and they all replied. But, wait, there’s one thing in common: like mothers, dads want to be acknowledged. So, plan a celebration, get a cupcake, have your children make something, and get a gift (although they said they don’t care, believe me, they do).

The question is what to get them? Men have everything they want and need because when they want or need something, they just get it. I find it very hard to come up with the perfect gift; apparently I am not the only one. I was talking to some girlfriends about it, and they all agreed. Shopping for men is hard. And, what about the handmade gift? Do they really want that? Or are they just posing? What are they going to do with it? Do dads have a keepsake box? Mmmh. I doubt it.

Anyway, I put together this gift guide plus a list of homemade gifts you can give instead. I hope you find it useful.

♥,

Marcela

1. A nice and timeless cashmere sweater
2. Desk accesories
3. A book about grilling
4. Ray-Ban sunnies
5. Golden Goose sneakers
6. These are ultra cool suede espadrilles
7. A bluetooth speaker
8. Cargo shorts
9. Coffee table book about design, architecture, wine
10. Comphy slippers
11. A hoodie
12. A fancy corkscrew (pair it with number 15)
13. A bottle of Mezcal el Silencio
14. A summery jacket
15. A bottle (or a case) of his favorite wine
16. A massage (for two? Jackpot!)