Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Civilian Dad

There are many dads who have wives in the military, and you, as their friend or other family member, can help make this year's Father's Day more special by easing the pain felt by his separation from his wife while she is stationed overseas. Here are some special gifts that will make memories for him on this special day.

A recording of his wife telling him how much she appreciates him being there every day for their children is a wonderful reminder of his role as a father and the love the mother of his children feels for him. This is very inexpensive, despite the phone call, as it can also be arranged through the internet.

A collage that you help the children put together of him and his family is another idea that not only honors him as the father, but also shows him how important he is every day of the year to his family. This is also very inexpensive, just make sure that these are snapshots and not framed photos that the kids have misappropriated from the stairway walls, or worse yet, dad's nightstand. You don't want to turn his Father's Day gift into a bad memory.

Another inexpensive Father's Day gift idea would be iron on transfers of his wife and children that you adhere to a new T shirt. The supplies for doing this should run you less than $30, excluding the cost of computer, printer, and iron. Other projects would include a pillow you ironed on a nice family portrait. Just make sure you read all directions and insert the paper correctly into a printer, after you've printed a test page to ensure that your ink colors are true to the portrait.

A fourth Father's Day gift idea would be a gift certificate that would enable him to take a break from the routine. There are many to choose from, and the prices range widely. You could arrange for maid service for a certain length of time, a babysitter to take care of the kids for a few hours so he could finish a project sans interruptions from the kids, a buffet dinner for the family so he doesn't have to cook (and clean up afterwards), and laundry service. You can also hire someone locally to do dog walking, lawn mowing, car washing, and so forth. These would be really good for the dad who has been stressed out and needs a break, and even if he won't admit it, he'll still appreciate it.

The best Father's Day gift possible for a civilian dad married to a military wife might not be possible. This gift would be for not only the children, but also for the mother of those same children, to be there to enjoy his day with him. If you know that she is coming home on leave, or better yet, at the end of her deployment, don't spill the beans. Instead, help her get home without him finding out, in order to surprise him on his number one day. This will take some communication between his wife and yourself, and every situation is different, so there are no hard and fast rules, but be prepared for her plane to be late, just in case.

Hopefully, the War in Iraq will be a thing of the past soon, but until then, we need to support our military families in as many ways as possible, big and small. These Father's Day gifts should help you help his children and wife how much he means to his family.