The Cost of Children

In 2015 the government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18, a mere $233,610 for a middle-income family, not including college tuition (factor in cost-of-living for today’s price).

I’ve often seen articles on the cost of raising a child and the risks involved, but seldom have seen the rewards listed.  Soooooo . . . here’s a personally edited version of a study on ‘Bang for the Buck’ our children provide.

First off, $233,610 isn’t so daunting if you break it down as follows:

·       $12,978 a year

·       $1,082 month, or $271 a  week

·       That’s a mere $39 a day

·       Just $1.61an hour . . . far below minimum wage 😊

You might still believe the best financial advice to becoming ‘Rich’ is to not have children. Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for $39 a day?

·        Glimpses of God every day

·        Naming rights . . . first, middle, and last

·        Giggles under the covers every night

·        More love than your heart can hold

·        Butterfly kisses and mini-bear hugs.

·        Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, warm cookies and boogers 😊

·        A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly, chocolate, or ???

·        A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites and fishing

·        Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day

For $39 a day you . . . my favorite 😊 . . . never have to grow up, getting to:

·        Finger-paint

·        Carve pumpkins

·        Play hide-and-seek

·        Catch lightning bugs and frogs

·        Never stop believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy

·        Keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh

·        Enjoy Saturday morning cartoons

·        Watch Disney movies

·        Wish on stars

·        Lie on your back watching clouds draw animals in the sky

·        Place rainbows, hearts, and family stick figures under refrigerator magnets

·        Get hand-prints set in clay for Mother’s Day

·        Receive cards with backward letters for Father’s Day

·        Tell tall tales that are believed, and really dumb jokes that are laughed at

·        Build tree forts to play in

·        Experience  the joy of mud play

·        Jump in rain puddles

·        A ‘buy’ for doing all sorts of really stupid, juvenile things 😊

 For $39 a day you get to be a super-hero just for:

·        Teaching how to tie a shoelace

·        Retrieving a ball from a roof gutter

·        Taking the training wheels off a bike

·        Removing a splinter

·        Getting soaked in water pistol battles

·        Building a dam in a creek

·        Coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs

·        Coaching a team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless

For $39 a day you have a front row seat to history to witness the:

First step

First word

First puppy love

First date

First time behind the wheel . . . can be an adrenaline rush😊

For $39 a day you get to be:

‘Immortal’

Regarded as a walking encyclopedia . . . until they reach 3^rd grade 😊

Another branch added to your family tree, and if fortunate . . .

a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren

An education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and . . .

human sexuality questions no college has to handle or try to answer 😊

In the eyes of a child, you have near Divine power to:

·       Heal a boo-boo

·       Scare away the monsters under the bed

·       Patch a broken heart

·       Police a slumber party

·       Ground them forever

·       Love them without limits

Soooooo . . . hopefully one day they’ll become parents, loving their own children without counting the cost, realizing they’re quite a deal for the price . . . while you subtly extract revenge spoiling your grandchildren to challenge their parental skills 😊

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.

Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them.”

Psalms 127:3-5

   
Keep Looking Up . . . His best is yet to come!