Three years ago, I bought my father a flask with a simple message etched into the bottom. The message read, “Thank you for all of your sacrifices, Love Brandon.” From the moment my dad opened the box, I was instantly hooked. The look on his face, one similar to a little kid on Christmas, was so innocent and carefree, almost as if this gift lit a fire of nostalgia in the room. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to capture the pure joy and elation that children experience on their “special days” with every gift I give.

July 29^th marks the date of my father’s birth, and for as long as I can remember his birthday present has been bought on my behalf. It never occurred to me that the wallet I (my mother) bought for him was merely another to add to the collection. I say wallet but really you can reread that sentence and fill in the cliché “dad gift.” Until one day…

In every boy’s journey to manhood, there comes a point in those "oh so awful teenage years" where you start to shape into the person you are going to become using your perceived ideas of what a man should be. Oddly enough, at age 16, I decided that one of the things holding me back on my journey to manhood, was the fact that I never bought gifts for family members, but I rather assumed my mother would handle it. That thought instantly blossomed into me now not only going to personally be buying the gifts, but making it a goal to buy something fun, and unpredictable. In all honesty, some of my fondest childhood memories involved me racing home from school on my birthday to open a gift to which I had so eagerly hinted at (badgered) my parents about. Why should a father (middle-aged person) not have the same feeling? All gifts are special, don’t get me wrong. I have been told more times than I can count that, “my presence alone is enough of a gift.” But it is time to dump the clichés and revive dad’s urge for birthday gifts.

The second year of my personal gift journey yielded a beautiful photo album. One that let him know all of the tourist attractions we hit during my childhood vacations held a special place in my heart. To assure him that all of his efforts to preserve my happiness did not go unrecognized, but rather carefully guided me through the hardships faced when growing up. I did so in hopes that my gift would express an answer that every parent so desperately longs. A reassurance that, “you raised me better than I could have ever asked and I would not be where I am today if it was not for you.”

This most recent birthday, only days ago, presented my third opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifices he made, and make dad feel special once again. It was particularly hard buying this gift because I would now have to work extra hard to be unique and spontaneous. Not only that but being a starving college kid on the epitome of a tight budget really narrowed down the options. I ended up finding the perfect gift on the sales rack of a sports store. The gift was a pair of Nike running shoes, in which in combination with a handwritten card, held a special meaning. The card read something along the lines of, “You’ve spent a lifetime in work boots getting me to where I am in life today, you can now comfortably walk around with pride. You’ve succeeded.”

In closing, it’s not about breaking the bank with your gift to dad. Neither is it to say that a nice new wallet or tie wouldn’t do the trick. I am simply saying your gift to your dad is a wonderful opportunity to show him just how much you really care. Your opportunity to bare your heart, and acknowledge your relationship.