Father’s Day is coming on June 21^st so now is the perfect time to be thinking about what to buy, create, or plan to celebrate the special father(s) in your life. This blog will look at three of the ten most common father types as described by The Star along with suggested ideas for that type. For a little added fun each section will also include some of tv’s most iconic dads that fit the type.

The Nostalgic Dad

“Back in my time” is the Nostalgic Dad’s favorite opening line. He likes dishing out advice and comparing how society and times have changed. Nostalgic Dads often have a well of amazing stories and lessons to share. He makes you appreciate how you now have a better life thanks to his perseverance and hard work. Famous television fathers that fit this category include: Andy Taylor, a widower, father, and sheriff from “The Andy Griffith Show,” Howard Cunningham, business owner, lodge member, and family man from “Happy Days,” and John Walton Sr. a hard-working, industrious man who runs a small family sawmill on his property from “The Waltons.” Gift ideas for the family man that falls into this category would be your more typical tried and true gifts. Some of these ideas include: MedCenter System (tm) Talking One Month Medication Organizer and Reminder: The MedCenter System was designed by two sons to ensure that their father took his medication regularly. He is doing so now and you will also when you use this system. 31 individual boxes, each with 4 pill compartments sit in a frame. The talking combination pill reminder timer with 4 alarms and talking clock, either beeps or speaks, "Please take your pills" when the alarm goes off. TEK-PAL Simple TV Remote: The manufacturer states that the TEK-PAL is "designed to be the easiest to see and easiest to use TV remote control on the market". This item is a universal remote, with only 6 large buttons with clear, black markings on them. The on/off is round, the mute is square and the volume up and volume down, channel up and channel down are triangles that point in the up or down direction, corresponding to their function.

The Handyman Dad

The Handyman Dad adopts a Do-It-Yourself approach and is able to fix everything. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in an era where making a phone call to the garage was harder without cellphones. These days you have someone for everything — plumber, electrician, technician — but old school dads will tell you that they were handyman extraordinaire in the house way before these jobs became mainstream. Famous television fathers that fit this category include: Tim Taylor, the know-it-all father from “Home Improvement,” Dan Conner, the loving, drywall contractor from “Roseanne,” and Charles Ingalls, farmer, father, and fixer of problems both physical and emotional from “Little House on the Prairie.” Gift ideas for the  handyman that falls into this category would be your more typical fixer upper type gifts. Some of these ideas include: Talking Tape Measure:  A 16-foot standard metal tape measure that announces the measured length with an accuracy of .06 of an inch. Operates with memory mode, and can be used to measure consecutive distances that exceed its 16-foot length Big Larry LED Flashlight: This BIG Larry™ LED Flashlight uses C.O.B. LED technology to produce 400 lumens of light or 160 lumens at a dimmed setting. It also has an intense emergency red flashing light mode which you can activate if ever needed. This red flashing light is ideal for roadside emergencies or distress signaling.

The Gadget-Obsessed Dad

He has the latest model and flashy upgrades to boot; putting your two-seasons-past phone to shame. The gadget-obsessed dad gets told off over dinner for always having his nose stuck in his tablet, even more frequently than the younger ones. They send dad-jokes, videos of cute animals and Internet memes. They are also known for their fondness of Candy Crush. Famous iconic television fathers that fit this category include: Wayne Szalinski, the wacky inventor from “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” Gomez Addams, a wealth retired lawyer of Castilian descent, who squanders money in a cavalier manner while remaining wealthy from “The Addams Family,” and Professor John Robinson, father and an astrophysicist who also specializes in applied planetary geology from “Lost in Space.” Gift ideas for the father that falls into this category would be your more typical technological or “geeky” gifts. Some of these ideas include: iPad Bluetooth Keypad - Yellow Keys Black Letters: The LogicKeyboard Bluetooth Mini Keyboard is the industry's first large print Bluetooth keyboard designed for the Vision impaired and mature-aged Apple iPad and iPhone users. Now there is a way to type on a real keyboard with letters that are easy to see and locate. The mini keyboard is compact and light-to-carry with proven Bluetooth technology that can connect to any Bluetooth compatible device. TV SoundBox Wireless TV Speaker: This portable and wireless SoundBox® speaker, produced by Serene Innovations, brings adjustable TV sound right in front of you or where ever you go within your home. Imagine taking your television sound with you to the kitchen when going for a snack or tending to your simmering dinner. To see what’s currently on sale at ILA please sign up for our newsletter, view our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website.