I Can't Think of Anything to Get My Dad for His 40Th Birthday.

Take him to a play, concert, sporting event, Comicon? If he likes scary movies he might enjoy a Halloween themed outing, like a Zombie Walk, corn maze, haunted forest?

An experience with you instead of a thing would be the best gift. How about a day together! First take him to a comic book shop and browse together. Buy a comic for him if you want :) Next take him to the movies. You can make him a homemade ticket saying it is good for 1 Quality Day together. Set the date right away! You sound like a great daughter.

Why do you want to buy him something? Why not MAKE him something? DO something with him.

Is there a Comic.com coming to your area soon? It might not be ON his birthday, but you can buy the tickets to take him.

Make a memory with him. Write him a note or a letter on how much you love and appreciate him. Tell him something special you remember you did together. Then lacquer it with a special picture of the two of you and frame it. Then he can put it on his dresser or nightstand or even on his desk at work.

I agree with the majority of the moms who said to do something together, we already have too much stuff in our lives. My daughter is 23 and prefers this and at the ripe old age of 50, I certainly prefer this. Geez I feel old this morning....when I turned 40 my daughter was 12 😕

so how old are you I.?

You want to get him something special? Why not do a memory book? We did this for my parents 40th wedding anniversary. We asked people to give us memories and pictures of a special time with our parents. My mom died 3 years ago. My dad sold their home and this album was NOT packed. He brought it with him to his motor home. it means that much to him.

Why don't you look through pictures and get an album together JUST FOR HIM? Include notes and memories you share with your dad. Special times you've shared. If you are teenager - that's why I asked your age - your school might have had a father - daughter dance - pictures from that. ..pictures from vacation(s).

then hand it to him on his birthday - it will be better than anything you can ever buy for him.

Most of us have too much "stuff" as it is. Experiences and time spent together are better. Take him to a concert, show, play or a professional sporting event. If he's into comics see if there's an event coming up any time soon and take him to that. Go out to dinner and then go bowling or play pool or something, just the two of you. (If you don't have much money ask your mom to chip in, I'm sure she would be happy to.)
Do something fun together, I think he'll enjoy that so much more than another present!

How about a special day...just you two? The memories of that will last much longer than a present.

I like experience gifts - they are always really appreciated. Treat him to an event he'd enjoy, a restaurant, movie gift certificates, go in on a getaway, etc.

Tickets for you and him to do together. As a parent, nothing would make me happier than knowing my teen kid wants to spend time with me.

Make him an original comic. Write a story, cast him in it, draw & colorize the panels or make them via computer. He will love it.

We have gotten tickets to shows and concerts. We've also gone out to brunch or dinner. I think having an experience of some sort are the best gifts.

I made the assumption you were an adult. My favorite gift from my girls is a heart felt homemade card.

I agree with Lori H. on the memory book - we did this for a big birthday for my mother, and it was great. It's so easy on Shutterfly and similar sites - there are templates available and you can put in text, photos, anything you want: 40 reasons you love him, 40 great memories from childhood on, etc. You can team up with others in the family if you want to. We did one where each of us had our own section, and then we had a group section for memories that were shared by all of us (such as a vacation or a holiday dinner). It takes time and thought, which is so much better than buying "stuff" that will wear out.

You could also do things in groups of 40 depending on your age, preferences, budget and skill: 40 home-baked cookies, 40 $1 lottery tickets, 40 photos with captions in a scrapbook with little "embellishments" from the scrapbook aisle that relate to handyman items, comics and movies. Craft store employees can be very helpful. We also did one of these for another of my mom's birthdays, with everybody doing a 2-page spread of their own, and then we put it all together.

How about some t-shirts for around the house with Marvel or DC characters of them?

There are some great suggestions already which come down to spending good time together or expressing your feelings for him. I'd say that if you are going to give him a thing, make it something which is personal to him. For example, I was living in a city which had a pottery studio which would custom make things. Over the years, I had them make mugs for my parents with inscriptions or pictures related to something they enjoyed or was important to them. Or you could make a calendar with photos of you, your siblings, him, your kids. Maybe there is something like that which you could do?

Is there an experience you can get him? Is there a sporting event that he would like to go to? Send him and your mom away for the night to a nice hotel.

You could create a memory book with pictures. Shutterfly has some nice ideas. A jar with 40 reasons why I love you inside. Write him a letter expressing how he's been a great dad, be specific. You may hold a memory dear that he doesn't realize impacted you strongly. It is always so nice to be appreciated.

I agree that experiences are nice too. I am sure whatever you do for him will be appreciated. Does he have any hobbies you could buy supplies for?

My parents are in their 80's and have everything they need. They also have the ability to buy things they want. They cherish time spent together. I know they're much older than your dad, but a beautiful day spent together is priceless.

Whoa! Your dad sounds EXACTLY like my husband! For his 40th my daughter and I took him on a scavenger hunt around town. Trip to comic book store, ice cream shop, record store, etc. He LOVED it. Can you and your mom work on this together? Doesn't have to be expensive at all. Have fun with it!

If he likes movies, why don't you get him a gift card to Redbox or a theater.

Tool box?
Shop Vac?
Emergency road kit for his car?
A really bright LED flashlight?

A good gift would be something that easily helps him transition into his midlife crisis.

I think an experience is the best type of gift. I bet he would love any type of outing with his daughter!