The Price of Children

#1

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 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!
* 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, flying kites
* 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 or pizza 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.
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 and enjoy your children,grandchildren and
great-grandchildren!!!!!!!

#2

Another good post...Being a Dad RAWKS..!

#3

I have seen this a couple times. Too cute. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

#4

Sometimes I am so much of a kid at heart I embarrass my kids and get yelled at by my wife. /sad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad.gif" /> The kids actually rat me out. "But Dad started it!" I wouldn't trade being a Dad for any fortune.

#5

Greta post- we use this to show school at-home-parents and at-work parents are the same- hen they're working on parent participation strategies or how much its cost and why events need to to be low cost to families and for a miriad of other things

#6

I'm not normally the sentimental type, but I enjoyed that.
There are some things you just can't attatch a price tag to.

#7

Too true. I love being a Dad. AND I love being a big kid. They help keep you young at heart, so while I might not always be able to keep up with them, it's a ton of fun.

#8

I will be the voice of dissent and say I would rather spend the money on a sportscar, pound of coke and a hooker.

to each his own I guess

#9

Its OK e- kids, the cost, the ups and downs, the repsonsibility, the pride, the joy, the teachinmg and learning isnt everyone cup 'o tea

2.6 million dads are stay at home DADs (as Uber would say We RAWK)
8.2 million moms are stay at home

leaving the rest to work to support a family (not that the stay at homes dont- some even own their own business and/or hold a job too)

Lost Ghost · #10

I enjoyed this post a lot....