Birthdays are always difficult when they come around – at least, when they aren’t yours to enjoy. While there is a great deal of fun to be had celebrating a loved one’s birthday, there is also an attached anxiety relating to the most difficult part: the buying of gifts.
The difficulty of this task is one well-understood by the parents amongst you, particularly where your children’s interests barely intersect with your own. Imagine the double trouble, then, that comes with attempting to buy gifts for the children of your friends and family! Luckily, children grow up, and their wants and needs can be intuited a little better; unluckily, they can turn 18, and all the rules get thrown out of the window again. What, then, are some good gift ideas for the new adult in your life?
Tech
Technology rules the roost, and especially so for ‘Generation Z’. This is a generation of young adults that practically know nothing of the world before touch screens, let alone the internet – and, as a fresh-faced adult, they may have designs on owning the right tech of their own.
There are many avenues you can go down here, but a great place to start would be with hobbies. If they are a budding musician, how about an audio interface for recording their instruments? If they’re an avid TikToker, maybe you could give them some film-friendly tech, even in the form of a new camera? Of course, if all else fails, an up-to-date smartphone would serve most 18-year-olds.
Money
While tech may be the way to your new adult’s good graces, it must be said that money is most likely the way to their heart. Turning 18 is a signifier of maturity and independence (at least, for the teen in question), and with this newfound sense of independence comes a longing for self-destiny. In short: they’d probably like to pick their own gift from some spending money.
However, the 18th birthday is a major milestone – and the gift of money can be much more than a gift-card-esque token. Rather than sending money over, you could set up a bond in their name so that it matures over time and gives them a neat nest-egg with which to start their adult life.
Fashion
Of course, the above gifts represent serious expenditures, and would not be practical or appropriate for friends of family to give. For less costly wrap-up gift ideas, why not dip a tremulous toe into the world of fashion? While nostalgia cycles continue to spin, we appear to have entered the age of the melting pot – where various styles from various eras co-exist, and what is ‘cool’ and what is ‘cringe’ is defined by an entirely different set of rules.
A nice item of clothing could be just the ticket for your 18-year-old, particularly if it is a quality vintage item. Something cool and hard-wearing like a patched denim or leather jacket could be perfect! Jewellery isn’t too bad a shout either, and can carry more sentimental value to boot.
