A mom here...I need advice for my DD's 16th b-day present

[clh2]

SOrry for barging in on the teen board...I'm just hoping some of you could give me some advise on DD's 16th B-day gift. I am second guessing myself on the choice.

The 10 second background - we hope DD will be driving soon and we do have a car available for her use, but we had to stick some $$ into it so it is safe - no biggie...just front and rear brakes and the rotors

W will be picking up her first year of insurance as well. (Again, not a present - just something we are doing. So - trying not to spend a otn on a b-day present, not that we do in other years either.

As DD's main present - I purchased her some lawn chairs - the kind that she could lay out in the sun with. I got two of these, so she could have a friend over too. Her other options are - lay out on the deck, or lay on the grass - but we have a dog - EWWW for me to lay on the grass. Now obviously - she would have a towel on the grass - but EWWW anyway.

What are your thoughts on the the lawn chairs as a gift??? They will totally recline so she can lay on her front or back sides. We have no other patio furniture...NONE. Is this a good idea - or is it stupid??

We are also getting her a specific key-chain lanyard thing that she wanted...
But that is it!

Thanks for any input you would like to share!!!

 

[aquarhapsody]

If the lawn chairs are something she can use, and will like, then go for it.

I once got a pair of earphones as a gift, and I loved them.

It just depends on what she wants, lawn chairs or not.

 

[imabrat]

Personally, if I got lawn chairs for my birthday I'd be uber ticked. Unless I'm really passionate about tanning/laying out, etc and they were some really cool, high-tech chairs.

I think it's really generous of you to provide insurance and a car, but I think a small gift in addition wouldn't hurt. A $25 gift card to her favorite store, a set of her favorite scent from Bath and Body Works, extras of her favorite make-up, cute car accessories, etc.

 

[clh2]

Personally, if I got lawn chairs for my birthday I'd be uber ticked. Unless I'm really passionate about tanning/laying out, etc and they were some really cool, high-tech chairs.

I think it's really generous of you to provide insurance and a car, but I think a small gift in addition wouldn't hurt. A $25 gift card to her favorite store, a set of her favorite scent from Bath and Body Works, extras of her favorite make-up, cute car accessories, etc.

Thank you for sharing...that's is why I asked. She was out laying on the deck last week after school, doing her homework...it was in the 80's. Great weather in Wisconsin in march. They aren't high-tech cool chairs. I really love the zero-gravity chairs, but they don't fully recline - so I opted for ones that do fully recline. She does enjoy reading books outside in the summer, which is harder now since we took our gym-system play system down a couple of years ago.

What to do...what to do...

 

[VolleyballQt07]

Personally, if I got lawn chairs for my birthday I'd be uber ticked. Unless I'm really passionate about tanning/laying out, etc and they were some really cool, high-tech chairs.

I think it's really generous of you to provide insurance and a car, but I think a small gift in addition wouldn't hurt. A $25 gift card to her favorite store, a set of her favorite scent from Bath and Body Works, extras of her favorite make-up, cute car accessories, etc.

i couldn't agree more.

honestly, i think the car is enough.. i'm 17 and i've had my license for over a year without my own car.. if my parents got me a car for my birthday i wouldn't want them to get me anything else.. regardless if the car was one our family already had.. but that's just me..?

 

[yellowlabforever]

For my 16th birthday I got money, money is always nice. It lasted me a long time (mostly because I don't really like to spend very often). I don't live in a sunny climate, so the lawn chairs would not go down very well with me.

Maybe an iTunes gift card if she has an ipod? That is nice to have as well.

Or even save the extra gift and take her on a trip for her 18th birthday! My mother did this, and we went to Minneapolis to be with family for my 18th birthday, I even went to the American Idol concert.

 

[thisonegirl]

Hmmmm....I agree.

I would totally spazz out with a car, no matter what.

Maybe some cute, tiny accessories.

Like once my friend gave me something to hold a few necklaces or earings on it. It had a monkey on it, in the clouds, with my birthstone. It's really cute, and maybe put a cute necklace in there.

Or maybe like a Barnes and Noble gift card.

 

[LittleMissMusical]

if i where you i'd get cool car gadgets like the jack to plug ur ipod in, hands free cell, key chain etc...

if you are thinking about getting patio furniture in the near future i wouldn't do the chairs.

i like the gift card idea, itunes, amazon, her favorite clothing store, etc...

ultimatly it's your decision what you want to get your daughter and don't change your mind cause some of us doin't like the idea. we don't know your daughter, but if she really likes to lay in the sun, i'd say go for it. hope every thing goes well!

 

[clh2]

OP here...thanks for the advice.

I totally forgot to mention one thing...(luckily I remembered before her birthday) DD really wanted a set of luggage. I bought that about 2 months ago...so - I just about forgot about that.

So for her birthday - she is getting the UW-Madison keyring/lanyard thingy, a nice set of luggage, as well as the lawn chairs to lay out on. We always get her an itunes GC for every occasion...so that is a given at least in our house.

She already has every possible ipod accessory - including car thingys. DH keeps his favorite (and only) child pretty well stocked with fairly recent electronics.

I'm glad I tried "over thinking" this whole thing over the weekend. Because otherwise I literally would have forgotten about the luggage.

Thank you all for responding...I really appreciate your feedback. And - I'm going back to budget and community boards...bye!!