my father’s tears | the string

If he insists on t-shirts, get him a funny one like this ($20) at Busted Tees.

My dad, bless his heart, is impossible to buy for when it comes to birthdays, Christmas and Father’s Day. He didn’t have a job that required a tie (firefighter), didn’t really golf, held his money and credit cards together with a rubber band and always claimed all he wanted was socks and t-shirts – and meant it.

So, I pulled together a gift guide for the other dads out there and I think I’ll be writing my dad a short story. Which can apply to anyone – what do you do for work? Put something together for your dad, trust me, he’s interested and it’ll make him proud.

PR? Send him your big clips in photo album he (and your mom) can reuse, or just treasure.

If your job requires anything visual, make him a mock-up of a storyboard or floorplan with an explanation.

Banker? Show off your stellar balance sheets (or simply your time card) with a few shares of cheap stock that may or may not pan out.

Lawyers can put together a brief to show him what you’re working on, with a certificate for free legal advice for life – very valuable!

Doctors can go home and do a gratis check-up (blood pressure, lungs, etc) and the same with medical advice.

Draw him a picture, sew him a card, record a song, have a picture taken with your class – whatever, he wants to see what you do!