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The Cost of Kids!
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 in 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! That doesn't even touch college
tuition. For those with kids, that figure leads
to wild fantasies about all the money
we could have banked if not for (insert you child's name here). For others,
that number might confirm the decision to remain childless. But $160,140
isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
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$8,896.66 a year,
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$741.38 a month, or
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$171.08 a week.
That's a mere $24.44 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 you get for your $160,140?
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Naming rights. First, middle and last!
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Glimpses of God every day.
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Giggles under the covers every night.
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More love than your heart can hold.
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Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
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Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies.
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A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.
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.
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You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek,
catch lightning bugs and never stop believing in Santa Claus.
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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.
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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!
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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 the
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.
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You get a front row seat to history to witness the first
step, first words, first bra, first date and first time behind the wheel.
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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.
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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 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)
Article submitted by: Ben, Staff Writer, Family Business |
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