Birthday Present

make him a dating kit: rules for dating, how to ask a girl out, ideas, coupons, etc. My little brother thought it was fun when i did that for him.

Hi J.,
I just wanted to commend you on raising a responsible kid, saving his own money, wow! I am in a community where many kids expect everything from their parents and often get it, you are instilling confidence( he's doing it on his own) and responsibility! That said, boys are tough to buy for! Even though money is tight maybe a little toward his trip would be nice! Good luck!

What country is he going to? Does he need a pocket guide book with conversational phrases and tourist information? Some are better than others. Does he have his passport? What about paying for his photo and passport application?

How about new luggage? I got my boys their suitcases the Christmas before they went to Europe with a singing group. They loved it!

Hi J.,

The other ladies have given some great suggestions. When my son turned 16 last year, he just wanted to hang with a few of his friends. They all love to play paintball so they did that during the day,(they all have their own equipment so no cost to us) and then came back to our house to eat (we ordered pizza) and watch a movie.

We also have a tradition of a family dinner out. The birthday person chooses the restaurant. (we've grown from McDonald's and KFC to more upscale places like Macaroni Grill and the local Steak house) If money is really tight then let him choose the menu and you fix dinner at home. You can use your nice dishes to make it special.

J.

How about something he can use on his trip? Or money towards it? I liked the suggestion of the prepaid credit card. Or maybe a prepaid calling card so he can call home. Or you could make it a theme of the party (if you are having a party for him) and decorate with maps and globes and ask everyone to give him something they think he will need while he is gone. You could get luggage, a translation guide (does he know what country he'll be going to?), books about that country, paper envelopes and stamps so he can write home, a journal to write down important events and experiences, an inexpensive camera and film, etc. How exciting for him! I'm sure he'll love whatever you get him!

I agree, there are some great suggestions here. I would definitely go along the lines of encouraging him to pursue the foreign exchange trip. You can usually get a decent set of matching luggage at Walmart or Target for under $100. Or perhaps a digital camera to document his travels? I just bought a Samsung S860 at Walmart for under $100 and it also includes a video recorder (with surprisingly sharp pictures).

Well, I believe when i took karate, part of my elssons wre also on meditation. As you need this to be good and to consentrate. What i sugest is you could get him a nice incence burner and some incence. These are usually not exspensive, and is something he can continue to do even when he leaves home to study. IT will also give him the ability to cope better with stress. Good luck.

Hi J.,

Besides the obvious...the cake (or cookies or pie, whatever he prefers), the favorite meal, a few balloons and/or streamers....one thing I do for ''big birthdays'' (ie: 13, 16, 18, 21)...I go to the bank and get the appropriate number of crispy new $1.00 bills (in your case you'd need 16 of them) and do one of two things....1. roll up each dollar and drop inside a balloon then blow the balloon up and tie off, using long strings of ribbon, make a balloon bouquet to hook them altogether. Instant present! (If/when he wants to spend the $$ he has to first pop all the balloons! lol) 2. Roll each dollar and tie each with a ribbon, go to Michaels or Hobby Lobby and get a decorative glass bottle....any size, any shape (they are cheap too), drop each rolled ''scroll'' dollar into the bottle....decorate bottle as desired. Once again...instant present! (I have done this with both my kids, my son of course spent his $ right away...my daughter will be enjoying her 18th b.day on the 24th...yes she will get the usual $18 only this year I got $2 bills...she still has hers from when she turned 13 and also from when she turned 16!! I personally prefer the bottles...but I think the boys like the balloon idea better). Anyhow, its a thought, doesn't cost more than $20 (the dollars, bottle, ribbon balloons). This is also a great idea for other kids b.day or even x-mas! Other than that, I would suggest maybe giving him $25 or so and/or opening up a savings account for him specifically for his trek as an exchange student! (which is awesome he gets to do that!!) Good luck, and Happy B.day to your soon to be 16 yr old!

Maybe look into requirements for the foreign exchange semester/year: immunizations, etc. See if they are affordable and give him a gift certificate (either from an immunization clinic or homemade - where you pay for them at the time) for those. Or some other item related to the exchange term...

How about a nice journal for his trip next year? Write a heart felt letter in it. When I turned 16 my mom was able to swap working for a man that owned a furniture store for a beautiful bed. We were broke and I still have the bed and memories. Make it special and he will love it.

I am a sentimental mom who likes to do all the corny stuff. I put up streamers and balloons up in the middle of the night so that they wake up and know that it is their special day. Plus i will bring them cake to school to share. Plus i will cook them whatever they want for their birthdaydinner. Do all the little things that you know he likes for his birthday weekend. Maybe breakfast in bed . You might want to surprise him at his karate class with cake and punch. Make a cake and let the classmates decorate it before class. Good luck and god bless

iTunes gift card (if he has an iPod) for the plane ride
Guide book to country he's going to
Passport/money belt
Neck pillow for plane
Snack bag for plane

Anything to make travel more comfortable on long plane rides is good - books, an array of magazines, travel games.

Good luck - sounds like a great kid!

J.

How about the book, "The Exchange Student Survival Kit" by Bettina Hansel or another such book? You can find it on Amazon.com.

Theresa

What about encouraging his dream and efforts of going overseas? You could set up a savings account for him (or make a deposit to one he has already started); give him a guide book to the country he wants to go, and inside put a deposit slip (or deposit receipt) from the contribution you made for him. Or, if not a guide book, then maybe a nice piece of luggage.
Too boring for a 16-year old? They always love gift cards! How about a couple of gift cards he could use with his friends, like pizza and the movies? Or maybe a gift card to the mall? Does he have an iPod? A gift card to iTunes is a great gift.
Since money is tight (for us all these days!), you could also bake him some of his favorite treats, make his favorite dinner, and offer him a one-week reprieve from all chores in the house. :) You could throw in a collection of his favorite songs, if you know how to burn cd's (if not, maybe your 23-yr. old could help you!).
Happy birthday to your son!
S.

Jo Anne,

Sounds like a lovely family. 16 huh... whew, that is a big one.

New luggage is probably a chick thing. LOL. Not sure if he has a cell phone yet, probably. I know Dell computers have refurbished laptops for 400$. I found that on line last week. Does he need anything special for his overseas trip?

I should not post before my morning coffee... I will be checking back here to see what you decided. Sounds like you guys raised/are raising great adults.

M.

Could you host a close friends and family dinner for him at your home? You could do it as a birthday potluck, and just provide a main dish and the cake, or you could host something simple, like a spaghetti dinner or a pre-Thanksgiving soup and bread night. Maybe you could ask people to bring a card or a note with their best wishes and/or favorite things about him written down, so you could put it into a book or binder for him. I know some people might think that sounds girly, but in my experience (three boys) boys are just as tender and need reasurrance, too. The personal letter is always a good idea, no matter the occasion.
Have you seen the easy photo collages online at places like Shutterfly and Kodak Gallery? You could submit a few photos of him doing cool things such as karate) and make a poster print for his room. I've seen some that are collages and some that are like sports magazine covers.
You could give him a gift card towards a date, if he's interested in dating. Maybe a movie theatre or restaurant card, so he can celebrate with the family but set up another event with friends.
Keep us posted and best wishes!

Here is a site that has great deals (for the most part). They update almost by the minute. I just bought my kids mp3 players for 11 with shipping. http://forums.slickdeals.net/forumdisplay.php?f=9&sor...

If your going the "stuff to get for his exchange", I know they had a link for some inexpensive luggage. Does he have a passport yet? That is one to definitly not put off to the last min! My bro went to france and thought that by doing the expidited he wouldn't have to worry, but the day before and day of his trip we were at the passport office trying to get it! A passport would also make it more real for him.

Good luck. I truly understand money being tight-hence why I'm doing all my x-mas shopping on that site!
J.

forgot to put the link in at first!!

16 is a huge milestone and kudos to you to have such a well rounded son! He sounds like a great kid!!!!
I would ask friends and family to maybe donate to his fund for going overseas, have a account set up at a local bank.
Make his favorite cake, his favorite dinner and have that day be all about him, what he likes.
Just making it special and about him is a huge deal for kids. Maybe invite a close friend of his to join you for dinner.
I would give him a prepaid credit card, maybe with $50 on it, he then can get what he wants or save it for his trip. He then can use it any store he wants too.

I say with a special cake, dinner and the card you can easily just spend $70 on him. They are 16 once, if it means foregoing something else this month, do it. It is a birthday he will always remember. Don't you remember your sweet 16?, hee hee.