18th birthday

[Oriole]

So... DSD is turning 18 next week. I would love to find something special for her. She's not quite as sentimental as I am (and I am a total mush! heh), but I want to find the balance between practical (helpful in starting a life on her own) and sweet.

Suggestions?

[ollyoxenfree]

I'm not much help, but I am in the same predicament, so I wanted to sympathize. 

DS is turning 18 soon and he's in his last year of high school. He has his own band (actually 2) who play gigs in clubs around town. Parents aren't really invited to these events though. For a celebration, I suggested we rent a venue and his band could play for family, friends, a few former teachers and coaches, etc. He rejected the idea - although they do have a club date for the night of his birthday. 

Gifts are really stumping me. Most of his "wants" were satisfied at Christmas. My (rejected) ideas so far: 

-The traditional watch seems obvious, but he doesn't like to wear one.

- A laptop computer seems like a good idea, but he will be traveling for a year before he attends uni. Given how quickly computers are updated, it seems better to wait and get him whatever newer version is available then.

- His phone is only a year old, so replacing it seems wasteful. 

- A better digital camera for his travels, except he doesn't use the one he has now, even when we are on vacation

I feel like I'm not being very creative with possible gifts. 

My last idea is to pay for a studio recording session for his band. They have been self-producing their CDs, and I know he'd be thrilled. I don't know how to find a studio or what cost is reasonable though. 

As it turns out, we are going to New York city for spring break, so I did get tickets to a show for one of his favourite bands. He is very excited about it and says that's all he really wants. I'd like to do something a little more memorable though. 

[mtiger]

For the life of me, I cannot remember what I got for my son for his 18th bday. I do remember taking him, my daughter and some of his friends out for dinner.

My daughter turns 17 next week, and I've already given her a new laptop. She really needs it for school, so it seemed to make sense. I had thought, for her 18th (or graduation, which will be within months of one another), of getting the diamond from my engagement ring (which I have no use for LOL) made into a pendant for her. I may still do that. Or... I may make a collage for her of photos of family through her years. She's not overly sentimental. but she has put up a lot of photos of her and her brother up in her room, so she may like something like that to keep when she goes to college.

[koby58]

DD2 just turned eighteen in January. From me she got all seven Harry Potter books in hard cover. She's a huge fan and now she can take them all to college with her, which is exactly what she wanted. Her stepdad got her the first two seasons of her favorite tv show, once again, for college. From her dad she got a Tiffany's charm bracelet.

For the sentimental factor, a charm bracelet is good.I particularly enjoy the Italian Charm bracelets that link instead of having dangling charms.

DD1 is almost 21. For her eighteenth we got her a plane ticket to go visit her girlfriend in Denver (not exactly the sentimental that you're looking for). I can't recall what her father got her.