It was a bright, beautiful day in Texas. The first day of great weather after a series of thunderstorms swept the area over the past few weeks. I could hear the car coming down the road as I basked in a lawn chair out front. The low, soft purr we are all familiar with. It was red, shiny, and the top was down with my daughter excitedly waving her arms above her head. She was holding up a sign, but it was hard to read her third-grade handwriting. As it pulled closer, I could see the sign in orange highlighter “#1 Dad”. As a parent, this was one of the real moments that melted my heart. My girls were so excited to give me this new car as if they picked out and paid for it themselves. Nonetheless, the energy was electric. I hugged my wife – I had never been so happy.

This single handedly became the best Father’s Day present I had ever received. I felt the side of the car and jumped right into the back. It was everything I hoped for: a four-door convertible with amazing, leather seats. I sat down and relaxed in the back. Next came the question, “Daddy can we come sit with you?!” So, I relaxed in the backseat with my arms around my two daughters. My wife walked up to us and said, “are you even going to read the card?” in her joking, sarcastic tone. I grabbed the card off the dashboard and opened it with my kids peeking over my shoulder. There were only three words inside. “It’s a boy.” My heart dropped – I was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement: tears started running down my face. This was one of the best moments of my life.

I knew everything was going to be incredible. I imagined my three kids all nestled up together in the back seat with my wife in the passenger seat next to me. We had been saying for months now we wanted to have a third child and the time had finally come. My wife and I got slightly lazy with gift giving after ten years of marriage, so this truly surprised me.

We called every member of my family to tell them the big news and listened to my daughter’s chant around the house loudly exclaiming “we’re getting a brother!”  After we settled down a little, we headed out in my brand-new car for a family dinner. Aside from the big news, the car was unbelievable – an electric four door car with great safety features and a license plate with my name. I hadn’t gotten a new car in over ten years. It almost felt unnatural to not have to turn the key five times to get the engine going and to just push a button to start instead.

If you are looking for a gift to get your dad for Father’s Day, I can confidently say that a car is perfect. Having the opportunity to get out and travel wherever and whenever is incredibly liberating. Of course, having a son be embedded in the surprise does give me a little bias, but even without that beautiful moment, it was one of the most thoughtful things my kids and wife had ever done for me. Receiving the surprise of a brand-new car is a feeling I will continue to remember and reminisce about for the rest of my life.