Kids.....Financial Burden??
I have seen repeatedly the breakdown of the cost of raising a
child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed.
It's nice, really nice!! The government recently calculated the
cost of raising a child from birth to 18 years and came up with
$160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker
shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. That figure
leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have
banked if not for our children.
$160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
$8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week.
That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't
have children if you want to be "rich". It is just the opposite.
What do your get for your $160,140?
Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
Glimpses of God every day.
Giggles under the covers every night.
More love than your heart can hold.
Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles,
and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the
boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140, you never have to grow up.
You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek,
catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Piglet
and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to
Disney movies, and wishing on stars. You get to frame rainbows,
hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray
painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for
Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage
roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter,
filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets
treated to ice cream regardless. You get a front row seat to
history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date,
and first time behind the wheel. You get to be immortal.
You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're
lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice,
communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have
all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under
the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground
them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will,
like you, love without counting the cost.
ENJOY YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN
Advice from Kids
1. Never trust a dog to watch your food. - Patrick, age 10
2. When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don't answer him. - Michael, 14
3. Never tell your mom her diet's not working. -Michael, 14
4. Stay away from prunes. - Randy, 9
5. Never pee on an electric fence. - Robert, 13
6. Don't squat with your spurs on. - Noronha, 13
7. Don't pull dad's finger when he tells you to. Emily, 10
8. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair. - Taylia, 11
9. Never allow your three-year old brother in the same room as your school assignment. - Traci, 14
10. Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time. - Kyoyo, 9
11. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. - Armir, 9
12. Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick. - Lauren, 9
13. Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat. - Joel, 10
14. When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone. - Alyesha, 13
15. Never try to baptize a cat. - Eileen,
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