What is the best gift that somebody has ever received?

My Dad bought me a brand new Jeep Wrangler when I was 17, but the real gift was what he taught me about life by way of this car. Every month, on the first of the month, I was required to pay him $150 if I wanted to continue driving my Jeep. If I didn’t pay, I couldn’t drive my car (or “his car”, as he often reminded me, since he owned the title). My Dad was (and still is) a successful businessman, who makes a very decent living. To a 17-year-old working part-time in High School, $150 was more than I usually had in my bank account, and I often struggled with the prospect of handing over $150 when the time came to pay the piper. Although it was often done begrudgingly and with much complaining, I always made sure to have $150 in his hand on the first of the month, and did so for 2 years.

The day I graduated High School, my Dad pulled me into his office at our house and sat me down for a little chat. “Kevin,” he said, extending his arm to give me a white, sealed envelope, “here is your graduation present. Although to be fair, this is technically a present from yourself.” I opened the envelope with caution and almost started crying when I realized he just gave me $3,600 in cash or the equivalent of 24 car payments that he had been saving for the last 2 years. Every payment I gave him went straight into this envelope, to be opened upon my graduation. By forcing me to pay him every month, he was teaching me how to save, how to manage my money, how to find and hold a job, and how to be responsible. My Dad is and will forever be the best man I have ever known.

Edit: He gave me the title for the Jeep 4 years later, as my college graduation present