2006-06-30
The Price of Children
No I'm not in the children selling business! I just thought I would put
this in to encourage those who are seesawing about whether they
can afford to have children or not. Plus this is for those who have had
the thought, 'I wonder how much I can get for these brats? Actually
they can have them for free!' Lol , we know they are joking. I think
most parents have some days like that but we also know that most
parents and I would hope 99.9% of parents wouldn't give up their
children for any amount of money!
The Price of Children
This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely
positive
for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of
raising a
child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this
way.
It's nice.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from
birth
to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk
about
price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140.00 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 $160,140.00?
* 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 jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said
or
how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, 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,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish 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 a mere $24.24 a day, 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 in 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.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under 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. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll make
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I hope you enjoyed the read.
Patricia Downing
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