The cost of raising a child... (sweet)

[Kalika]

I saw this on another board I belong to, and wanted to share. :) Makes me want to hug my little one tight, most definitely!

*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, or
$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 canhold.
-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 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 backwardletters 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 greatgrandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, comunications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right under God.

You have all the power to
-heal aboo-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, like you, will love without counting the cost.

That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!

Each new day brings special things, they're easy to spot if you will only open your eyes.

[MysticWitch]

I know some people between entertainment, smoking and take out coffee,they spend about the same amount as what a child costs. So actually.. kids arent THAT expensive.. but if you want one its just about setting your priorities and using the money towards kids instead of other things :D

[Ceres]

AWWWWW! that was so sweet.

[Green Fairy]

ok, now i just have to remember not to remember how much he costs whenever he gets punished, or doesn't listen,
hahahaha

great post, at least its better than a house, it doesn't depreciate with age!!!

[gurlygurl2004]

Does this include all ranges of allowances? However once college and post adolesence start(since more 20 something are still depending on mom and dad) it is officially expensive.

[Kalika]

Does this include all ranges of allowances? However once college and post adolesence start(since more 20 something are still depending on mom and dad) it is officially expensive.

It's not supposed to be 100% accurate... 'cause I know it varies significantly from household to household. :) It's just supposed to point out all of the things that you can't place a monetary value on that makes parenting worthwhile.

[WokeUpDead]

If forgot about all the crying and pooping and stress and other stuff

[Kalika]

If forgot about all the crying and pooping and stress and other stuff

The positives far outweigh the negatives.

These are the things that people take for granted... the things that the story mentioned.

It's a sweet thing to read... that's all.

[Lorrie]

I am passing this along to my daughter( due mid-Aug for first baby) and my daughter-in-law( mother of three year old, 15 month old, and a five month old), they will love it! Thanks for sharing that with us! I forever get teased because even when the grandkids aren't here, I still watch cartoons and color. I think everyone should!:hahugh:

[Kalika]

I am passing this along to my daughter( due mid-Aug for first baby) and my daughter-in-law( mother of three year old, 15 month old, and a five month old), they will love it! Thanks for sharing that with us! I forever get teased because even when the grandkids aren't here, I still watch cartoons and color. I think everyone should!:hahugh:

3, 15 mo, and 5 mo? OMG.... that's a handful! :D

I watch cartoons and color too. :) :lol: Even before I had my son.

[KaidaMidnight]

Very awesome! Going to share with another friend who is due in August. :D (oh, and both hubby and I watch cartoons.. LOL.. although, it is so much better with our son, cause hearing him laugh at them is such a great feeling! )

[brymble]

i find it offensive when people try to put a monetary value on a child.

if i wanted to, i could sit down and calculate how many dollars i'm spending on the kids. probably it would be lower, because we're low income, and as a parent, my personal values go against blowing wads of money on every whim and trend just because "all the other kids have it". but be that as it may, i don't really give a fat damn how much my kids cost me, because both my children are priceless.

[brymble]

sorry about the double post. my mouse sort of hiccupped.

[Ceres]

I think that was the point of the article though. It doesnt really matter how much or how little they cost, they things they bring into your life are priceless.

[Kalika]

i find it offensive when people try to put a monetary value on a child.

if i wanted to, i could sit down and calculate how many dollars i'm spending on the kids. probably it would be lower, because we're low income, and as a parent, my personal values go against blowing wads of money on every whim and trend just because "all the other kids have it". but be that as it may, i don't really give a fat damn how much my kids cost me, because both my children are priceless.

That's not the point of it at all - the point of it is to point out all the things that you can't place a monetary value on.

And, the cost listed in the beginning was created to give people an idea of what it costs to raise a child - not the monetary worth of a child. But, that's beside the point.