Father’s Day can be a complicated holiday. We love our dads! We appreciate the things they do for us. But, it’s hard to have that emotional love-fest that we usually reserve for our mom’s on Mother’s Day. Even my husband feels uncomfortable with the idea of a whole day reserved for appreciating him. And so, we buy neckties or golf balls and awkwardly hand them over the morning of Father’s Day. I’ve seen my husband’s necktie collection. He doesn’t need any more neckties. So, I sat down with the intention of thinking of what he’d really want for Father’s Day. Here are some cheap Father’s Day gifts your husband actually wants.
Time alone
As the father of young kids, my husband never really gets time alone. He’s either at work, with the family, or trying his best to give me a break from the kids. Which means that the only alone time he gets is at work, or on his commute. Which isn’t really even alone time because he doesn’t get to do what he wants to do. Father’s Day is the perfect time to remedy this. Let your husband have some time alone to do the things he loves to do. Even if it’s just for a few hours, he’ll feel like a new man. And you aren’t spending money on lame, cheap Father’s Day gifts.
Time with you
Along with time alone, your husband wants time with you. There is a reason that he married you! He wants to go to dinner with you and have actual adult conversation. Spending time with you is important to him. Block out time to spend with him. Laugh at and with each other. Reconnect over all the things that made you love each other in the first place. Not only will it help your relationship, it’ll help him feel seen and appreciated. It’s so easy for mothers to ignore their husbands when kids enter the picture. Acknowledge that he’s still an important part of your life by spending time with him.
He wants to Hear he’s important
Mom’s have a way of stealing the parenting show, even if we don’t mean to. It starts from day one when we learn the difference between our baby’s cries. Even into our children’s teenage and adult years, mothers tend to connect more often with their kids. My own father has complained more than once that whenever any of his adult children call home, they just want to talk to mom. But father’s need to hear that what they do matters. Not just by going to work and putting food on the table. But that their parenting matters. That fatherhood matters and that they are making a difference in their children’s lives. It might seem like a small thing, but dads don’t hear that enough. Tell him you are grateful for his fatherhood.
Touch
You knew it was coming. Men want to be touched. And it’s not just with sex either. They want you to touch their arm as you are making dinner together and hold hands while walking through the grocery store. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but my guess is the most men would welcome a little extra physical touch. Give him a backrub. Hug him. Put your hand on his knee in church. Rub his neck on long car rides. And yes, spend some quality time alone being intimate. Believe it or not, sex matters! I think women forget that sometimes when we are raising our kids. But it matters to husbands, even after they become fathers.
Time outside
As I was writing this, I asked my husband what things he would really want for Father’s Day. What are the perfect cheap Father’s Day gifts? His response? Time outside. Admittedly, it took me a minute to really “get it”. But I can see the appeal. Growing up, my dad loved fishing. My husband loves golfing. Here are some outdoor activities that most dad’s love, but don’t get to do as often as they’d like.
- Biking
- Running
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Camping
- Riding dirt bikes or ATVs
- Golf
- Outdoor sports
- Gardening
Does your husband have an outdoor hobby that he never gets to do? Give him time to get outdoors to play. So much of fatherhood, especially fatherhood in the early days, involves bathing, rocking, reading, and feeding. It’s hard for fathers to get outside when a lot of fatherhood with young kids requires indoor time.
Share the things he loves
My husband loves Star Wars, golf, and woodworking. He also loves watching basketball or football. Most of the time, we spend our family time appeasing the kids. We watch what they want. We do what they want to do. I know my husband would love it if we all went to hit a bucket of balls at the golf course. Would it be totally frustrating and distracting? Yes! But I know he wants to share the things he loves with our kids. Set up an afternoon when everyone is going to do what dad wants to do.
Feed him his favorites for cheap Father’s Day gifts
Whoever said the way to a man’s heart is his stomach was a genius. And right. Totally right. It’s the perfect cheap Father’s Day gift. If I want my husband to have a good day, I feed him well. Chicken wings? Absolutely. Steak? Why not. A bag of chips and a Dr. Pepper? You bet. Pull out all the stops for Father’s Day and feed him everything he loves. It may not always be good for him, but Father’s Day is just once a year. Let him live it up a little before you pull out the salads again.
Speaking of salad, you’ll love getting your veggies in with this recipe: Texas Caviar AKA Three Bean Salsa
Father’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful. Your husband will love the extra time and effort you put into making his day special. What do you do to make Father’s Day memorable for your husband? Drop your ideas in the comments!
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