What to Give Parents When They Have Everything and They Want Nothing
Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and Father’s Day is just around the corner, with many grown children everywhere trying to figure out what to give the man or woman who already has everything. At this point in their lives, our parents often don’t want or need anything, because when they want or need something, they just go out and buy it. But we have three gift ideas for your parents that won’t cost a fortune and will mean more to them than any material gift.
Events
Your parents just want to spend time with you. It doesn’t matter where and it doesn’t matter when. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the amount of time parents spend with their children decreases as they get older, so your parents will be less interested in getting a tie or jewelry and more excited about a gift idea. a gift that is a structured activity with you. Here are some ideas:
- Museum membership. If your parents ever took you to a museum as a child, now is the time to repay. Museum membership is a reusable and affordable gift, and a great way to spend time together throughout the year.
- A trip to the botanical gardens. Whether they are experienced gardeners or have never touched a hoe in their lives, they will enjoy the fresh air and atmosphere of a botanical garden while they are with you.
- Dinner with tasting menu. Tasting menus are a fun gift because they turn food into an experience. It creates an atmosphere for discussion as you try new foods and prove why your favorite dish was actually the best.
- Tickets for a minor league game . If your parents love a good ball game, you can take them along— without breaking the bank—by choosing to travel to see your local minor league team. The places are closer to the action and the hot dogs are actually affordable.
- Dinner and show. Throw them a party, as they probably did often in their youth: grab a bite to eat at their favorite restaurant and then watch whatever “show” they enjoy the most, whether it’s a car movie or a local theatrical production.
photo album
I think the best gift I can get is something I want to have but wouldn’t think about and take the time to take care of myself. So, a great gift for any of your parents this Mother’s or Father’s Day season would be a good old fashioned photo album. But instead of paraphrasing photos from a family group chat, try one of the following ideas:
- album from year to year. The best gift I have ever received was a photo album from my mom, where there was only one photo of her and me on each page, from the year I was born to today. Watching you grow and change on the page is a pretty weird experience that gives you a lot of perspective on your relationship with your parents.
- Think back to your favorite family vacations . Whether it’s the big Disney trip you took right before the pandemic, or the photos you dug up of the annual beach vacation you took with all your cousins, they’ll love looking back at the vacation photos you enjoyed together. .
- Just them and grandchildren. If you have children, they are probably more excited to see them than you are (that’s okay). Go back and find some of your favorite photos of them with their little ones, from the moment they first held them to blowing bubbles in the backyard and celebrating their last birthday. (Make a copy for the kids, too, so everyone can cherish the memories.)
- Or leave it digital . A digital photo frame is probably something they have n’t invested in because they don’t want to mess with adding photos themselves. In addition, they are not capturing all these moments with their grandchildren, but you. Buy them a frame, customize it for them, and send new images remotely whenever you get a shot you know they’ll love. They will be delighted every time a new image is added to the rotation.
More time to socialize
Chances are that you are not very good at keeping in touch with your parents on a regular basis. If so, a simple gift they can appreciate is a structured communication plan, such as:
- Weekly phone call. Do you know what your parents want more than a tie or jewelry? One day a week when they know they’ll hear from you. Tell them you’d like to contact them more often and expect a call from you next Sunday (and the Sunday after that).
- Monthly lunch date. If you live near your parents and need a boost to actually drive across town to see them in person more often, have a lunch day. The 15th of each month or the third Friday (or whatever) could be your new lunch or happy hour date.
- An ongoing play on words with friends. Not every communication with parents needs to be structured this way. Over the past few years, I’ve come to enjoy the pleasant, passive aspect of my relationship with my father, always playing Words with Friends with him. It’s a great low-stakes way to keep the frequency of our relationship going, something to talk about when we get together, and how I learned that “ba” is technically a word.
And remember: if you doubt whether they have grandchildren, then something they made with their own hands will certainly be valued above all else.