It is highly unlikely that your gifted child is the one going to the store and buying their father a gift. It is you, Mom, who feels like it is your duty to make the gifted child’s Dad feel special. Now get real…He is not YOUR father. Still, you do want to acknowledge the gifted child dad.
Depending on his personality or expectations, he may want to be left alone to play golf, go to a baseball game, or sit in front of the TV watching a movie. But how is that different from any other Sunday afternoon? How does that recognize his Dad-ness? As a mom, you may have appreciated the handmade cards your children gave you or the flowers Dad bought for them to give you. But I think the commercial celebration of Mother and Father’s day, like Valentines, is more about profit than it is real sentiment. Think back two years, or even one. Do you even remember what the Mother or Dad gift from last year was?
This Father’s Day, recognize the day with a family experience that will be remembered and that matters. Make a memory with your kids. It doesn’t have to cost anything, but it should be pleasant, stress free for you and for the kids, and something that will help Dad bond with the kids in their brains. When I was a child, I have distinct memories of holding hands with my father and crossing the street to an ice cream vendor in Washington D.C., near the Jefferson Memorial. As we crossed the street, my dad sang, “You scream, I scream, We all scream for ice cream!” Of course, that phrase was reinforced by buying the ice cream and tasting it. Using the senses of hearing the phrase, tasting the ice cream, and seeing my father smile took that experience from short-term into long-term memory in my brain. The memory has lasted for decades.
Help your gifted kid make a memory with their Dad that will be memorable. Go for a nature walk on the beach and look for shells. Go to the zoo. Go in the backyard and throw horseshoes or corn bags. Laugh. Sing. If it is too hot to go outside, build a fort together in the house.
If you haven’t seen this supersized building set, it is awesome. It isn’t cheap, but it is really good quality and your kids will play with it for years.You can make a boat, spaceship, or a house that is big enough for Dad and kids to get inside. It also builds spatial reasoning skills, so that is cool, too.
Celebrate a Happy Father’s Day the way it should be, as a family sharing experience. Make a memory that will be remembered by you, Dad, and the gifted child for years to come.
Gifted Child Mom 