This coming father's day is the first for my husband and I would like to do something special that honors his relationship with our daughter. Does anyone have any suggestions for something meaningful? Thanks in advance for your ideas!
Dear Lilia,
One year when I was going through my divorce, I didn't have a lot of money. I put each of my kids' handprints in separate frames and wrote their names and the date with a calligraphy pen. That was 11 years ago and dad still has them in his living room. He really treasures them.
Hi Lilia, for my husband's first Father's Day I had my daughter do a finger painting. I stuck her in a diaper on a bunch of newspaper outside. Then put a big piece of finger painting paper down with bowls of different colors of paint and just let her go at it. When she was done I wrote in the bottom corner her name and 1/1 which means (in the art world) this is print #1 of only 1 copy made meaning it's the only one of its kind. While she was painting I took a picture of her. Then I had both framed, the picture of her on top and the painting she did on bottom.
She is 6 now and we still have that up in our hallway and he LOVED it!
What I did for my husband is I made him a Tshirt, but he is not one of those sappy guys who will wear Tshirts with pictures and writing on them. So what I did is I bought a plain blue Tshirt (his favorite color) with a pocket on the front. With fabric markers (the 3D kind) I wrote "I (heart) Dad" on the pocket. That's the extent of the writing so it's limited to the pocket and not overwhelming. Then with a sponge brush I covered my daughter's hands and feet (one at a time) with fabric paint and stamped them on the back of the Tshirt. He absolutely loved it and actually wears the Tshirt all the time.
My girlfriend's husband is less aprehensive, so she bought the computer iron-on paper. She printed a picture of her daughter on the iron-on paper and also printed a poem she wrote for her husband. She then ironed them onto a Tshirt for him. It was incredible. She did a really great job.
Another great idea is stepping stones. You can get the kits at any craft store, and they are really easy to make. We did those after my son was born, one for each kid, with a handprint and a footprint for each, their name and the date. He really loved those. They are still in our garden today.
I presented my husband with a blank photo album that I put gold letters on the outside of it saying A Father's Day Celebration. Each year I would plan an event and take the camera with us. I put the cards the kids made and took pictures of opening gifts and of the activities we did and put it in the album. Each year we could remember what he did and how big the children were on that day. Always our last stop was Baskin Robbins for ice cream. One year we went to San Antonio park and walked the trail, then had a picnic at a another park so the kids could play on the playground. One year we went kite flying at Shoreline Park and picnicked there. Another year I got him an electric plane at a hobby shop so we went to the park to play with that. Another year I bought him and one-wheel extension for his bike so the kids could ride on the back of it. I took pictures of all of this and put it in the album. Now we have memories we can cherish as now he is in heaven and we can't do that anymore. Make memories last. I am so thankful I thought of doing that so many years ago so we can look back at what we did as a family and how we celebrated what a great daddy he was.
Last year for my husband's 1st Father's Day, I (oops, I mean our twin boys) created a photobook from Shutterfly. We put some of the pictures we took from the day they were born until Dad's birthday in early June (7 months worth)in it. We concentrated on pictures of them and Dad, but also had a few with me as well. It brought tears to his eyes when he opened it, and still does. This year I am doing the same thing with all new pictures and a different theme. It will become a yearly tradition. As the boys grow up, they will probably want a copy of their own and we can have each printed again for them as well.
Get or make a card and put her hand and or footprints in it or get a tshirt made with her picture on it that says Best Daddy ever or #1 Dad.
How about a coffee cup with a picture of your daughter that says "Daddy's Girl" so he can take with him to work ...
Get some paint and make hand and foot prints of your daughter, you could print a nice father's day poem and have her hands and feet frame the poem. He can take it to work and put it up. Then spend the day doing something that he likes.
I will be chasing kids around the park while Daddy can fly his remote Airplanes (I hate his favorite hobby! Arrggg) and then we will go to lunch together as a family.
Have fun!
do you have any special photos of your husband and daughter together? if so, get one devoloped and have enlarged then put in a nice frame. you can even make colored photos into black and white. you can also go to some place where they do ceramics, dip the palms of her hands in paint and get her handprints on a bowl of coffee mug.. or a plate.. paint, glaze, fire and violia....
good luck to you!
One thing my husband has done for me on Mothers Day, and I love it, is he buys a large frame (16x20) with lots of picture collages and puts pictures of my daughter and of me with her in the slots and then decorates the whole inside with cute messages. He'll say things like Mommy and Me, Mommy loves me, hugs and kisses, and lots of other things. He goes to Michael's art store and gets all the supplies. He'll put little bugs and flowers and bees and stuff also for decoration. Just an idea.
Hi Lilia,
Last year for Father's Day my daughter(12) picked out a silly picture of her Dad(it was REAL close up,and he had a funny face)anyway she took the camera down to Wal-Mart had the pic blown up to 8 x 10,then added writing on the pic.....it said "Happy Father's Day" (above his head) then at the bottom she wrote "I Love U Dad" & her name & year....we then found a in-expensive frame $2.99 (I think). Her Dad laughed for an hour, and practically peed himself! It sits in the kitchen,where we can all see it everyday,it is, by his own admission THE BEST GIFT he has ever gotten!!
Father's Day Picture $ 1.09
Frame for picture $ 2.99.......
Dad's reaction & a treasure forever.......PRICELESS!!!!
I thought this might work for you also being his 1st Father's Day. You could blow up a pic of them together....Happy Father's Day (at the top) with "Our 1st year together, 2009" something like that???
Hope, you come up with a good idea, I know the ladies here always have the best thoughts!!!!
Good Luck......L.
Such an exciting time for Daddy! For my husband's first Father's Day I went on Shutterfly and made him a photo book of all the pictures of him and my daughter together up to that day. The book came out great and it was so easy to do! And most importantly, he loved it! Just go to Shutterfly.com and look at their photo books, there are a lot of size choices to choose from.
Have fun and good luck!
: ) A. Z.
The pix idea is what I did for our first father's day. I snapped a pix of my son sleeping on daddy's chest and put it in a frame that said "I love my daddy". Second year I had my son put his handprints w/ paint on a t-shirt that said "my son holds my heart in his hands". Supplies bought at Michael's Craft. As long as it is from the heart it doesn't have to be perfect and he will love it!
Good luck!
I am interested as well.
Greetings Lilia: As we have 2 first time fathers (2 of our sons) I liked this question. In the past we have given the new father a new grill but since each has one we have been taking pictures of just father and baby and gotten some beautiful shots that we will be framing and giving. My daughter in law made appointments for a professional to take pictures of them as a family and just of father and child.
Another thing we have done is write a letter saying how much we appreciate them and all they do. My younger son surprized one brother who is so busy at work, with doing all his yard work and Boy was he thrilled when he got home and found it! Do they have a special hobby that you can make time for him to do? My husband likes chess and we once had different people come at different times of the day and evening just to play chess with him.
Enjoy your little one and remember that parenthood is forever and the ride of your life, Nana G
