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Gift Idea help...

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osugrad21

osugrad21

Capo Regime
Staff member
Need some serious opinions here from the Dads on the board...

I'm working as a mentor for a 14 year old foster child. When asked what he wants for Christams he tells you his clothing sizes...the case worker tells me he is used to nicer gifts "accidentally" not being packed up when he moves. I want to get him something he can enjoy though...and I'm clueless about the newer "toys" kids that age are wanting.

Any help? Need to know by late morning when I head to the mall during a long exam period so give me some actual ideas before this gets hijacked please.

Thanks in advance.
 
Get him one of the "good old low tech" gifts applicable to whatever sport he likes (and doesn't have); i.e. basketball, baseball bat or glove, soccer ball, or football, etc.

They don't need batteries and it gets him out of the house (exercising off excess energy and any extra pounds).
 
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Thats my son's age. I would suggest a Nintendo DS (its a hand-held) or an mp3 player. Obviously there is the ipod but you can get a good one in the Sony Bean or an other well-known electronics brand.

As a side gift you could go with a basketball. Those hand/eye skills are good for a lot more sports than basketball, but you knew that.
 
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osugrad21 said:
Need some serious opinions here from the Dads on the board...

I'm working as a mentor for a 14 year old foster child. When asked what he wants for Christams he tells you his clothing sizes...the case worker tells me he is used to nicer gifts "accidentally" not being packed up when he moves. I want to get him something he can enjoy though...and I'm clueless about the newer "toys" kids that age are wanting.

Any help? Need to know by late morning when I head to the mall during a long exam period so give me some actual ideas before this gets hijacked please.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Do you have any more information: Does he like sports, is he active, is he a learner, what are his hobbies?

He is much older than my boys, but we are always looking for gifts that require something more than just sitting on a couch staring at a screen.
 
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New pair of sneakers is always cool .. so are gym shorts

Cologne - there's a couple hotties out for newly teens.. Axe.. look more like deodorant cans than glass cologne bottles

Sporting equip (following Script) - new mitt, sliding pants, spikes, under-armor, weights, jump rope

Blockbuster coupons .. theater coupons ..

A watch, Oakley sunglasses, face cleaning stuff, batteries, socks, boxers, new T-shirt, dress shirt, dress pants, belt

Depending on his reading levels - Gary Paulsen books are very good for average to just below; Harry Potter if advanced

OSU blanket, OSU shirts, OSU cap

Babe is right on target too.. and the others - electronics are big... including CDs/DVDs

I read this 20 minutes too late... 14 yr old son just left...
 
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osugrad21 said:
Well, he is not into athletics too much, is a special needs learner, very shy...one of the ladies at work recommended a Gameboy.

He has only been here for a month so I'm still trying to figure him out myself.
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How much money you wanting to spend? What's your limit?

An ipod isn't going to do him much good if he doesn't have a computer at home or large CD collection.
 
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osugrad21 said:
Well, he is not into athletics too much, is a special needs learner, very shy...one of the ladies at work recommended a Gameboy.

He has only been here for a month so I'm still trying to figure him out myself.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you have some sort of special needs department at your school. You might want to shoot an email to one of them and ask if there is something they might recommend to help him.

I'm a dork that is a always balancing fun gifts with educational ones.

Sounds like NJ-Buckeye has a good grasp of it with his own 14 year old.
 
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Image is becoming very important... that's why I made so many gift ideas pointing there... cologne, face cleaning, even the clothes... the kid may have nothing he could wear to any event that he would need to be dressier than T-shirt and shorts...

The Gary Paulsen books may really be good ones for him...
 
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Gameboy sounds good but can you get one for $100?

I think clothes are probably something he needs.

It's just me but after seeing how out of shape my students are, I'm kind of against getting gifts that lead to a more sedentary lifestyle.
 
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He'd probably love a Gameboy or other gadgety fun.

A child with that sort of instability in his life might also appreciate something personal he could use to make his foster homes feel more like home. Perhaps you can find a picture or poster that reminds you of him in some way.
 
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A portable cd player with headphones.

A music store gift card so he can pick out which music he likes.

Some nice athletic shoes, so he can walk/ exercise while he's listening to music.

What kid doesn't want a bike? Look around, you can get one for a decent price.

You may have to pay over the $100 limit, but it will be well worth it for you and him.


Thanks for doing that for him , Grad.
 
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