This is something that I received and just had to pass along....
The Price of Children
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, really nice!! Enjoy!!
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,
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 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, 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.
ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS![/color]
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Nancy, this is lovely! Thanks for sending this for us to read to remind us of our unique privileges as mothers and fathers.
Interesting, though, as I read it, I thought, "yes, this is what it is like to be a parent." And then, I thought how truly blessed I was becaue BOTH of my parents were aware of those rewards every day or their lives. And what's more, they SHOWED it! :) We didnt have much money when I was growing up (we were probably the last people in our neighborhood to get a tv or a new car) but we had all the love and emotional security the world could hold.)
Ummmmmm, that's before taxes are considered. Right? ;) :D :rolleyes: :J
All kidding aside, this is a beautiful piece and thanks for sharing.
Hey, we're still getting over the initial cost!!! For those that don't know, adoption is very expensive. On the order of $25K per kid. We adopted two young boys a little over a year ago. Fortunately, there is a tax benefit to help pay back the initial cost.
It's been worth every penny... well, most days. :rolleyes: :)
Someday I'll post the story on my webpage. Interesting twists before the paperwork was finalized. I've filled out less paperwork for a top secret clearance and when I purchased our house. Shame that many parents didn't have to go through so much scrutiny before they were ALLOWED to have kids! :D
$160K? I don't think that's even close. ;)
Now I have two more excuses to buy more toys...
Children are priceless ! The joy they bring, and the free training and maturing they provide ! Money can't be the tool to measure that !
How sweet! I just copy and pasted then printed it out on pink paper to display at the baby shower I'm throwing this weekend for my sister. It's funny- my BIL is a CPA and my sister called me about a month ago wanting to know the cost of formula and diapers so he could incorporate it into his budget. I think she'll really like this Thanks!