Grandson 18th

Why don't you ask him? Or ask his parents? I don't have a clue what other people's GC are into but I hope when my GS is 18 I will know him well enough to know what he likes.

The key ring sounds good. A smart cool design And the number plate. Both long lasting.

Don't forget there will be a 21st coming in a flash. Forget tankards and hip flasks etc. For an 18 year old!!

Ask his parents....or ask him.

What a wonderful idea,!

I gave mine a Track Day Event where he can drive supercars such as a Ferrari (under supervision of course).

Men still wear watches there are some amazing watches out there my sons and GS collects them. Fossil is a good make and trendy.
As for the whisky lots of the small distillerys will lay a few bottles of single malt down for you for about 15 years or more by then he will old enough to enjoy it responsible.

I think a special memory is worth more than an article. So whether he has always wanted to go to Crete, or be at the finals of the snooker at the Crucible , or watching wimbledon or whatever, if those tickets are way out of his normal price range, he would be both surprised and pleased at the opportunity to do that special thing. Then that becomes one of the special memories of your lifetime and the feeling you had in that moment is never forgotten.

Leather bag- bought for our son for his 21st birthday, he is now 63 and it is still in use, though looking a bit battered!

Thank you for all your suggestions. All sorted! I asked him if he would like anything special and he said he would love a travel bag/ holdall. So pleased to be getting something he really wants, rather than something that will be forgotten about and put in the back of a cupboard!! Once again thank you 😊

We did the keepsake type things with our kids and to be honest I think they were a waste. GS is getting a contribution to help fund his gap year trip to Australia. Hopefully the memories will be worth more than the keepsakes.

surfingsal

When my eldest grandson was 18 we had decided to give him some cash but I also wanted him to have something to keep, to cut a very long story short I found a car number plate with his initials and the year he was born, it was a bit more than we had planned to spend but he is now 45 and has had it on every car he has owned .

We did it for our son when he was a baby. Reg of his birth year and his initials. He doesn't want it, it's on DHs car. Son says to sell it. It is an in demand plate due to the letters appealing to a particular profession and is worth several thousands more than we paid for it.

winifred01

Leather bag- bought for our son for his 21st birthday, he is now 63 and it is still in use, though looking a bit battered!

I think battered leather bags look better than new ones. The places it's been, the things it's seen.

If he has any particular interests, perhaps a special thing associated with one of them? Once you know what he enjoys, you could get clues by getting him to tell you about it or start talking to people who share that particular interest (zillions of websites out there, from balloon-sculpting to antiquarian books...). Enthusiasts will love making suggestions!

Do you have any other grandchildren/nephews/children of family friends of a similar age you might be anble to ask?

Able to ask, I meant!

18th birthdays weren't celebrated, like they are today when my family were young. It was 21st when you gained legal rights eg allowed to vote, gain credit. When 21 or 22 they all went off abroad after Uni so were given funds for that and enough for a deposit on a car when they returned. I don't think 21sts are celebrated much nowadays? It's all the 18th.

Sago

A quality leather hold-all/weekend bag.
You can have his initials embossed on it.
We got each of our boys one, still going strong.

Yes, a lovely and useful gift ..

Another could be a leather ruck-sack / backpack bag with his initals embossed on it ..

a Euro rail-card

Some of these suggestions sound very dated, hip flask and tankard among them. Even when my husband was that age he wouldn’t have been very pleased to get such gifts. Times have changed and these may be very carefully chosen gifts and given with love but I suspect they may never , ever be used which would be a shame.Money towards a holiday or driving lessons sound lovely. I think for our grandchildren money is the perfect gift !

I must admit I do think NemosMum could be right… Although my son is 43 he had a really expensive guitar (he was studying music at college) and watch and ring all of which he still has for his 18th and still uses…. 18th & 21st glasses etc that friends bought him are still with us….he didn’t drink, Very rarely drinks now… husband spent £150 to get his Dads watch repaired but it is worth around £1500. Great nephew had a personalised number plate…

We bought one boy a track day and the other a flying lesson both really appreciated. Not cheap but both provided great memories.

My grandson wanted cuff links

If he’s a football fan, a tour of his teams stadium….or festival tickets maybe.

IT’S ALL SORTED!

My GS has his 18th coming up very shortly. He’s golf mad and is currently playing with a mixture of his grandad’s old clubs and anything he can borrow from his dad’s set. His other gran and I have agreed to pay for a really good tailored set for him. They won’t be cheap but we think (hope) he’s done most of his growing now so they should last him.

A red letter day experience. The memory would stay with him forever.