<p>Oh my gosh! I totally want parachuting plastic action figures now! :D</p>
<p>Money.</p>
<p>fastMEd, not every kid wants a car.</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that diamond jewelry is a ripoff.</p>
<p>I am a big fan of charm bracelets. Charms available for every occasion and milestone. Start with a birthstone and possibly a school charm or the mascot.</p>
<p>I'm a kid. I want a car. Money too. Money can buy me a car. Or anything else. $$ or car for me. =D</p>
<p>Um, for a college student and a practical idea: comfy chair for the dorm, food, anything college kids need and want. Or send her a message and give her hygiene stuff. Even if she's perfectly clean, it'll make her wonder. =D</p>
<p>The # 1 requested gift for our high school seniors and 18 yo girls is a BOOB JOB !!!</p>
<p>When D was away at a summer course, I contacted her roommate and sent a party in a box (cookies, cups, lemonade, kool-aid mix, candles, napkins, plates, etc. I sent a check for pizza for everyone. The cake came from the college service. Everyone on her floor was invited and everyone had a blast! She was so surprised and had such a good time that that was a gift in and of itself.</p>
<p>Rhapsody is a good idea; I was going to suggest an iTunes gift certificate. Very easy to order and you don't have to mail it. But, that's not to say that the cookies aren't the best idea! My son's spent his last two birthdays away from home and we use funcarepackages.com to send cookies, brownies and muffins.</p>
<p>Thanks for these great ideas. My son's 19th birthday will be in November, when he's far from home as well. These ideas are great & I'll try handing out postcards & likely sending pizza/sushi money/party in a box to roommate and/or friend as well. Boy does time fly--guess I'd better get started soon, especially if we want all these post cards to arrive in early November! (Will likely embarass the heck out of son!)</p>
<p>A great gift for girls is a birthday package from Freakin' Fabulous. You can take her out to dinner with all her friends and give her this package. It's a big hit! Freakin</a>' Fabulous Birthday / Congratulations Gift Package</p>
<p>There is not much you could do today when you turn 18 - you could buy cigarettes and porn magazines, enlist in the military, vote. But you are not as much of an adult as it used to be. In our extended family, you stop getting birthday presents. So, there is really that much of an up side.</p>
<p>That being said, we bought our D1 a very nice piece of jewelry for her 18th. L&T is having70% off on their fine jewelry. I bought a 10-11 mm pearl necklace for our D2's 16th birthday. She probably will get nothing for 18th.</p>
<p>We got D1 a bracelet from Tiffany's. She was thrilled! The style is young enough to wear now but classic enough to wear for work. There are some very reasonable pieces if you look!</p>
<p>A gift card to a good restaurant and a movie giftcard are a great idea. My birthday usualy fell during spring break, so I was home for it. My junior year, though, it fell the week after spring break and I didn't go home for break because my parents were away on a business trip. My parents mailed my best friend money for the two of us to go to dinner and to the movies, and we had a great time.</p>