18th birthday present for son who doesn’t want anything

[Gudspede]

Not into sport
Doesn’t want driving lessons
Doesn’t want gadgets (iwatch/buds etc)
Already had a new laptop
Not really into clothes but concedes that a few new jeans / sweatshirts would be good
Not into jewellery or skincare (ie face masks and serums - he does wash, before anyone says euww)
Doesn’t use Amazon- I buy his vouchers off him whenever he is given them by relatives.

He will be cross if I spend money on him for the sake of it, but, and I know it’s his choice, he won’t have anything to unwrap on his birthday unless you lovely lot can think of anything creative.

Help, please, Mumsnet.

I would put it in a tracker fund. The risk is low and it will out perform cash in the long run. Also many 18 year olds would find investing and the stock exchange interesting

Why on earth doesn't he want driving lessons which is an essential life skill?

Is he depressed!

I would honour his lack of enthusiasm regarding his 18th birthday and just add money to his savings which would cuber his driving lessons if he hopefully changes his mind later this year.

I would get a few token gifts of the type of clothes he usually wears.

Honestly you lot give such good ideas! Hope you find something good to do. I was going to suggest a nice mum-son experience.

I assume he didn't want to go.
When I was 18 the thought of a "lively restaurant" wasn't even on my radar as something I'd like to do.

My ds is 18 this year too and isn’t into designer brands etc. He doesn’t want jewellery and already has a nice watch that we bought when he finished his GCSEs. He’s asked for vouchers for coffee shops, meals out and takeaways from other family members and we’re buying him a year’s Odeon Limitless membership as he’s off to university and will use these then. As a keepsake, we settled on a pair of 2007 coin cuff links as, on the occasions he needs to wear smart clothes, he prefers a shirt with cuff links over buttons.

@Abstracts do 18 year olds really enjoy restaurants though?
Unless it's Nandos or something.

He wants to chill at home.

I’d forgotten that he has a Yr13 formal school dinner tonight (black tie and formal gowns) so he has the dinner/wine/dancing experience with his friends on the same table, albeit with some teachers in situ, who actually won’t mind the noise and japes TBH.

The restaurant in question is popular with local teenagers who would like to dress up a bit and have posh pasta with cocktails.

I was talking about it to my hairdresser who has 22yr old twin boys and she said that all the youngsters she knows don’t want to go out to restaurants, they’d rather drink vodka shots at home.

This was our son for his 18th. He wanted nothing and politely said if we get him anything then it would be a waste of money as he doesn't need anything.

He is ASD and not into sport/fashion/brands/music/arts/theatre/socialising/just eat type gift cards and has all the tech he needs.

I felt guilty for not getting him anything to open on his 18th, I wanted to get him a keepsake eg a watch but he wouldn't wear it and what is the point for something that will sit in a box forever. He had a large and expensive gift at Christmas, something he really wanted, so that was also for his 18th too. We went for a meal, his choice. He was more than happy with that. Being 18 meant nothing to him (his words), it was ''just another birthday''. He is not interested in driving or drinking, and to him being 18 was no different to being any other age and certainly nothing milestone-wise to him. Difficult for me to understand but he was more than happy.

@Abstracts ok I suppose some 18 year olds do.
They are all different obviously 😂

Start a pension scheme?

My niece was 18 just before uni, I bought her an overnight bag and then filled it with things she might need at uni.

Flip flops for the shower, hat, scarf and gloves, stationery, vouches for supermarkets, emergency chocolate, small first aid kit, small sewing kit, paracetamol, photo frame, tin opener and bottle opener...

You get the idea, she was a Harry Potter fan so it was a 'bag of requirement'.

Dd1 was similar, she wanted ‘experiences’, e.g. travel, so that meant cash.

I had wanted to buy her a really nice piece of jewellery but as she said, she’d only lose or break it! IMO cash will never come amiss.

Give him cash? Or take him for a trip somewhere - a city break, theme park, zoo, dinner somewhere cool? Whatever he’d enjoy based on his interests.
There really isn’t any point buying things for the sake of it

Put them in Easter eggs and make him find them 😂🤷‍♀️

Sorry but a trip to the zoo for an 18 year old lads birthday present made me laugh 😂The rest are good ideas though!

@Starlight1984 when I was 18 I probably would have (secretly) loved that.
Have you seen Heartstopper? The group of teens go to a zoo for one of their birthdays.

You can get little bars starting from a single gram to 2.5g, 10g and upwards. Or half ounce/one ounce sovereign coins.

Coins avoid CGT too, which is handy!

Cash. Fivers in an envelope with a card.

Wallet with initials, watch which he does wear and a wok to take to Uni.

A personalised leather passport cover? It's more useful than most of the personalised stuff and he'll use it forever whenever he goes away.

If he has a sister please give him money rather than premium bonds (or lottery tickets)

although it’s unlikely a big win would almost certainly cause issues … should he keep it all, share … not the same issue if he buys the bonds