Surprise Your Spouse!
Average Rating: Not rated
[5 Comments]
One June evening a few years ago, as I looked over our calendar at upcoming activities, I wondered why the third Sunday was circled in red. Then I remembered with dismay—it's Father's Day! Since the birth of our son, Luke, three years before, I was perennially stumped on how to make this day as special for my husband, Roger, as he makes Mother's Day for me. After all, how do you buy a gift for a guy who insists he's satisfied with a card and a tie?
It's taken me years, but I've finally discovered 8 great ways to put that card/tie routine to shame.
1 Kidnap him from work and play hooky. When our son, Luke, was born, Roger attended school and worked full-time. We rarely got to see him. So the Friday before his first Father's Day, Luke and I kidnapped him from work. The surprise on his face when I announced his boss had given him the rest of the day off was priceless!
If your budget's limited, plan a low-cost outing: Go to an amusement park, or pack a picnic lunch.
2 Hand him cash to spend that he didn't earn. One Father's Day, my parents gave my husband a gift certificate to his favorite store. Roger immediately went out and loaded up on jeans! He'd needed some work pants for months, but had put off that purchase in favor of our family's needs. When I saw Roger's delight at being able to get through a whole week without rotating his jeans, I realized how many of his sacrifices went unnoticed.
I make a small income that usually goes straight into the bank, but on Father's Day, I make an exception. Spending someone else's money is always more fun than spending your own!
3 Send him to a men's retreat. Jamie set aside a weekend for her husband, Scott, to go to their church's upcoming men's retreat. "I look at it as an investment in his relationship with Christ," she says. When Scott returned refreshed and renewed, their whole family benefited.
4 Surprise him with a sparkling clean car and an oil change. My husband does all our automobile maintenance, so when I take our car in for an oil change or an unexpected car wash, he's thrilled and relieved. Getting into a clean car to go to work is always better than putting up with a filthy one!
5 Give him a day alone to do what he wants. Like most men, my husband tends to pursue his hobbies alone. He loves to tinker in the garage, disappear for a morning to fish, or lie prone on the couch for hours watching football. But those times are few and far between, because each Saturday I present him with a "honey-do" list of projects.
Once I realized how little free time Roger actually had, Father's Day seemed the perfect time to remedy that. I give him an entire day to do what he wants. It's my way of saying, Go ahead and take off. I promise not to resent the time away. I'll hold down the fort until you get back.
6 Save up for that expensive gift he wants. One family I know encourages their kids to pool their money in the months between Christmas and Father's Day. When Mom matches their funds, it's possible for the kids to surprise Dad with that gift they know he's wanted for years.
Originally published in: Today's Christian Woman, 2001, May/June, Vol. 23, Issue 3, Page 62
Related Topics:
Celebration, Fathers
More from Melodie Wright :
Kyria.com | Books
Join the Kyria.com Community!
Become a member to have access to the following:
- Full access to the bimonthly Kyria digizine, each issue focusing on a spiritual discipline or theme
- 50 percent discount on all of the downloadable resources in the Kyria Store
- Hundreds of members-only articles for thoughtful, influential women
downloadable guides
Sabbath Rest in a World of Stress
Practical insights for how to live a life that honors the spirit of Sabbath-rest.
The Mentoring Series: Nancy Ortberg
Discover leadership principles from a well-known author and respected leader.Browse More Guides
back to top
Average User Rating: Not rated
Fibia London
great ideas! I wish I can do something like this but everything I had tried so far had no r esults...
Fibia London
Thank u very much for excellent ideas u gave about making a husband feeling special and important for his family... but in my case I don't know whether is any possibility to have any normal cool discussion with my husband who is more and more on a weary hard to understand depressive diclinig ramp, where he can even say a good positive word of kindness to me for months or even years, but workds of criticism and sarcasm and ridicule, down-throdding and distroying discaouraging words, words which make me run away from his presence and hide into my leaving more and m ore just for the cause of both GOd' kingdon and eventually an i ncome I need to earn urgently since my college forbearance ends at the end of this month and then the payments are due withinterest accumulation.. so please pray for me so I can experience the miralce of the heavenly father in my life of frustration and continuous chase from comdemning words for every mistake or weakness I ever had...
Kim
How about a wine and cheese night, as my husband and I have enjoyed that.
Toni
It wasn't Father's Day but for our anniversary that I ordered his favorite meal from Spaghetti Factory "to go" and once home I cleared the dining tabe of all the normal mail and junk. Then I got out our good dishes and a few candle sticks for a quiet romantic candle-lit dinner in. He mentioned a few times of the next couple days how nice that was and how much he appreciated it. It wasn't expensive but it touched him.
Debbi
I try to buy my husband something he'll use as a Father. One year it was hair clippers - he loves cutting the boys' hair. Another year, I got him a set of squirt guns. This year, I'm doing one of these suggestions.
Rate & Comment on this article *