MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Dads.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
(Laughter) I'm doing...
MARTIN: Dads.
INSKEEP: ...All right this year. I'm a little ahead of schedule - not done, but a little ahead of schedule.
MARTIN: No, we're talking about buying for you.
INSKEEP: Oh, buying for me.
MARTIN: We're talking about buying for you.
INSKEEP: That can also be challenging, but people do their best. Liza Corsillo is a senior writer at The Strategist and has a hunch as to why choosing for dads can be so difficult.
LIZA CORSILLO: I think there's, like, a love of utility that can feel boring to the person buying a gift.
MARTIN: OK, fair enough. But let's go straight to the source, as we do on NPR.
PAUL WESTERMAN: I think you should stray away from buying them clothes.
MARTIN: That's expert dad Paul Westerman, who happens to be the father of one of our show's managers.
INSKEEP: Hi, Paul.
MARTIN: If clothes aren't their thing, Corsillo says an experience is always an option, and you don't even have to be there.
CORSILLO: Especially for dads who maybe don't have a lot of time for themselves, it's nice to give them things that kind of help them reconnect with who they were before they had all this responsibility (laughter).
INSKEEP: Mr. Westerman thinks that's a great tip.
WESTERMAN: Look at the time that your dad relaxes, whatever that is. And for me, what I relax doing is going outside on the patio and sitting right before sunset or right after sunset.
INSKEEP: Sounds nice and explains why the propane heater his kids got him this year for Father's Day is on his list of favorite gifts he's ever received.
WESTERMAN: Now I could be outside, even when it's cold. And it also means that if they're out there with me - that they're probably more willing to stay longer if they're not cold (laughter).
MARTIN: So yes to a propane heater and no clothes for him - got it. But what if you're running out of time or your dad is into fashion? Some are.
CORSILLO: You cannot go wrong with a crew neck sweatshirt for most men - like, a thicker, more sturdy sweatshirt that's sort of, like, in between loungewear and dressy.
MARTIN: If an experience, a crew neck sweater or a propane heater are not the thing for the fathers in your life, Corsillo says just take a step back. Don't overthink it.
CORSILLO: I use the same thought process that I would use for anybody, which is just think about, where are things in their life kind of difficult, and how could a gift potentially make that easier or more fun?
MARTIN: Yeah, like a Porsche...
INSKEEP: (Laughter).
MARTIN: ...What they really want...
INSKEEP: Exactly.
MARTIN: ...Or tube socks.
INSKEEP: You know what I want? I want time. Get me an hour.
(SOUNDBITE OF PHLOCALYST AND VIKTOR MINSKY'S "THE BEST GIFT IS YOU") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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