We have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, (NEGATIVE SIDE MOSTLY) but this is the first time the rewards are listed this way. It's nice, really nice!! It's even worth printing.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $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 $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140?
Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
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 jelly or chocolate.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, 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 a 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 and great grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
You haveall 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 KIDS AND GRANDKIDS!
The Price of Children
by Lady Lee 8 Replies latest jw friends
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Lady Lee
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schne_belly
Lady Lee,
What a nice take on that.....and yes, what a small price to pay for so many blessed moments. Looking forward to experiencing parenthood first hand myself some day
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bull01lay
That was lovely LadyLee...
Thanks for the reminder of how precious, and priceless, kids are !
Bull!
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mrsjones5
Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
Gotta love it - though my youngest, because of his sensory issues, tends to kiss me very hard on the lips. But before he kisses me my lips have to be puckered in the right way. It's funny and sometimes drives me crazy but I love it - Baby Kisses!!
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Ellie
Thats lovely
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serendipity
Kids are worth every penny!
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YoursChelbie
For $160,140, you never have to grow up.
Every day that goes by....I see my children and know that I am blessed. I never knew I could love so unconditionally.
The wonder of childhood, the toys and the teddybears are sacred reminders to me of the miracle of
life.
YC
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skyman
Thanks for the post. I have read your web site, I'm thanking about ordering your book. I wish you all the love this life can give you.
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nilfun
Great post One of my faves -- when they wrap their little arms around your neck for the first time...