Gift ideas for a co-worker with a lame kid?

April 5, 2006 4:28 PM

I'm looking for small gift suggestions: a co-worker of mine recently learned that her daughter needs a second knee surgery, and she (my co-worker) has to take several weeks off work to care for her daughter, who will be mostly home-bound for a month. Both mother and daughter are depressed and stressed out by the prospect, and I want to get something for them to enjoy when the daughter (who is in her 20s) is recuperating. I'm looking to spend around $25.
posted by Harvey Birdman to work & money (14 comments total)

Bring them dinner a few days after the surgery.

A frozen lasagna, something to drink, disposable dishes, and cutlery - "dinner in a box" if you will. Make sure they can throw the whole thing away after they are done. That way there isn't anything to clean and they don't have to worry about getting something back to you later.

One night of not having to cook and clean was probably the best gift our family got when my father just returned from the hospital.
posted by jpf at 4:39 PM on April 5, 2006

The all time bestest, all-purpose gift to a parent is free babysitting. Offer to give her a few hours break to run errands or have a night out. Two or three hours of baby sitting would probably cost about $25.

jpf's advice is great as well.
posted by turbodog at 4:43 PM on April 5, 2006

A complex jigsaw puzzle? A harmonica to learn? It depends on their personalities and interests. I've usually chickened out and bought gift certificates to Barnes & Noble or Amazon or similar - someplace with books and movies and music. I'd second turbodog, too, assuming you know the daughter well enough that you'd both be comfortable with it.
posted by dilettante at 4:45 PM on April 5, 2006

Books of Sudoku puzzles? Good for killing time.
posted by divka at 4:48 PM on April 5, 2006

20-year olds don't really need babysitting.

I third the meal suggestion. If you're not a cook, bring them good takeout from somewhere. A lot of places have curbside pick-up now. (Chili's, Applebees, etc.)

Othello
posted by clh at 4:51 PM on April 5, 2006

maybe a kickstart on a netflix subscription if they don't have one already?
posted by whatitis at 5:00 PM on April 5, 2006

A learn to knit kit or something crafty. When I was laid up for awhile my mom taught me how to knit. It was a good way to kill time and feel productive instead of just watching another movie.
posted by kechi at 5:06 PM on April 5, 2006

An interactive DVD, depending on what they're into?

I was going to suggest Who Wants To Be A Millionaire but can only find a UK version.
They also just launched a box set Rogers and Hammerstein singalong DVD set. It was being promoted on TV today but I struggled to find it online. Could be joy or utter torture, depending on their taste.
posted by penguin pie at 5:36 PM on April 5, 2006

Operation.

Actually, I fourth the meal suggestion. I was going to suggest the obvious board game, movies or books, but the meal thing sounds much better and much more unique.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 5:38 PM on April 5, 2006

i'd go with the jigsaw puzzle.
posted by brandz at 7:39 PM on April 5, 2006

A big-arse slab of chocolate. The meal is also a great idea.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 7:43 PM on April 5, 2006

A one month subscription to a dvd rental-by-mail place; a gift certificate for a free meal from a delivery place; a nice blank journal with either a good pen or good colored pencils; an etch-a-sketch; the newest version of Trivial Pursuit.
posted by haplesschild at 7:59 PM on April 5, 2006

I would say a learn to knit kit sounds like a great idea. Whenever you're homebound or bed-bound, your chief enemy (and that of everyone around you) is boredom. If the daughter's twenty and the culprit is knee surgery, then mom's going to be able to go out and run errands, etc., but in the meantime daughter's going to be stuck at home. The thing they will both appreciate is daughter's having something to do to keep her mind off all the things she can't do.
Actually, running errands is kind of a pain in the neck; if you have the time, you could offer to run errands or some kind of regular delivery service (dropping off movies from the library every few days, for example). Or, for that matter, offering rides to any of daughter's close friends who don't drive.
posted by posadnitsa at 8:14 PM on April 5, 2006

Maybe you could give a gift bag "To Pretend You're On Vacation", like they're doing this by choice. Include a ton of magazines (Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Cosmo, Vogue, Soap Opera Digest, whatever), a coconut-scented candle, some citrus fruit, a beachy movie...? (At least I know I would like that. You can find all sorts of magazines at Barnes and Noble, etc. Rare ones, like Chicken Soup for the Soul, or things like that are especially fun.)
posted by orangemiles at 12:13 PM on April 6, 2006