OT...The Price of Children

[angelsmom10]

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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[NightOwl]

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.)

[B-flat]

Ummmmmm, that's before taxes are considered.  Right?    :rolleyes:  :J  

All kidding aside, this is a beautiful piece and thanks for sharing.

[2manytoyz]

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!  

$160K?  I don't think that's even close.  

Now I have two more excuses to buy more toys...

[NightOwl]

Now I have two more excuses to buy more toys...

Robert, you now have THE VERY BEST EXCUSES OF ALL.  CONGRATULATIONS to you and your DW AND your sons!  They are beautiful children, and  will bring you tears and laughter like you have never imagined.  :S

[birol]

Children are priceless ! The joy they bring, and the free training and maturing they provide ! Money can't be the tool to measure that !

[julecav]

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!

[startx]

$2965.52 a month just for the kids?  That's where all the money goes!

Aren't they great though?  I'm very thankful to God for giving us our last two.  I am older than when our older two were babies, and I get so much more joy from having these two little ones in our home.  Course some days, it seems like so much work, and considering their backgrounds we may have some difficult times ahead, but they are just so precious, I think it is all worth it.

[angelsmom10]

Don't get me wrong, kids are great...but remember they grow up to be teenagers.  That's when you remember that it's payback from when you were a teenager and when they have kids, turn around is fair play.:J
 
They will eventually turn out to be your best friend.