Peachy Lady
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- Joined
- May 22, 2003
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I have seen repeatedly 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!
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 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 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 says don't have
children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.
What do your get for your $160,140?
Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!
Glimpses of God everyday.
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 jam.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles,
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 fingerprint, 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 Land, 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 the 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.
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 with God.
You have all the power to heal a booboo, 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 GRAND KIDS!
child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed
this way. It's nice, really 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 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 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 says don't have
children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.
What do your get for your $160,140?
Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!
Glimpses of God everyday.
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 jam.
A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles,
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 fingerprint, 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 Land, 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 the 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.
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 with God.
You have all the power to heal a booboo, 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 GRAND KIDS!
and having God in my life means MUCH MORE
who cares what the costs are as long can provide for them along with love, attention and everything they need 
