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Last month I wrote a post about the worst Mother’s Day gifts ever. I thought it only fair that I do the same thing with Father’s Day but after talking to a few dads I realized I couldn’t come up with five bad Father’s Day gifts. It would seem that dads are happy with just about any gift you give them. They don’t have a problem with receiving power tools. Most dads don’t care what you get them as long as you remember them some way on this special day.

I say most dads because one year, when I was about 20, my brother and I gave my father not one but two wooden toilet seats for Father’s Day and they were not well received. In our defense dad had one or fifteen of everything. If he wanted something he wasn’t going to wait until a holiday or birthday rolled around for someone to give it to him. Consequently he had everything he could possibly want, except for replacement toilet seats. Dad insisted on having wooden toilet seats in his home, he thought they were better than your standard run of the mill toilet seats but after a few years they crack and can cause all kinds of damage to the user of the toilet when sitting down. My brother and I thought it was a brilliant idea to replace these rather dangerous toilet seats, we patted ourselves on the back even. Dad took one look at them, made that face and said a ‘thank you’ through gritted teeth. Had my brother and I been younger this would have turned into a story that would be repeated each Father’s Day, everyone would laugh at our naivete and that would be it. Because we were adults (though not yet parents) the poor choice of a gift never transformed into a funny story. Apparently it was just too painful for my father to recount.

So while there is really no bad Father’s Day gift I don’t recommend wooden toilet seats, even if desperately needed, as a gift for your man on Father’s Day. I do recommend the following because a couple of dads I talked to said these would be way cool gifts to receive.

*Note: This list of gift suggestions is intended for the wives or significant others of dads, this is not a list for kids. The post won’t read creepy if you keep that in mind.

1. Flat Screen TV

This needs no explanation, there isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t love to get a flat screen TV for Father’s Day even if he already has three. The garage is probably in need of an upgrade.

2. Power Tools

Most guys would be really happy with power tools though some might prefer to choose the ones they need, they might also have a brand preference. A gift card works nicely but it isn’t a big deal if you purchase the wrong power tool, it gives them a chance to spend a day at Home Depot which is kinda like shoe shopping to them. You can’t go wrong with power tools.

3. Beer

While a six pack would be appreciated and used right away (it is on a Sunday) even better would be a beer making kit. Most guys dream of making their own beer, sharing it with their buddies and if it’s really good, or even not so good, they have dreams of starting their own micro brewery in the garage. If the beer kit comes from the wife that’s a green light to turning the garage into a brewery. Which is pretty much like turning the garage into Heaven.

4. Lingerie

No, this isn’t for the cross dressers, though I am sure it would be greatly received by them, this is lingerie for you to wear for him. This is really a great gift if the woman goes the distance, she gets a new nightie and he gets a little promise of fun. It’s a win-win.

5. The Free Pass

Kinda like a Get Out Of Jail Card, this gift gives the man a pass when he does something incredibly stupid like forgets your birthday or wedding anniversary, mentions those pants look a little snug or insults your mother. The Free Pass is only good for one stupid action so it should be used wisely.

These are just a few suggestions, please feel free to add your own and if you know of any gift that is a bad idea I would love to hear about it.