With the economy sitting where it is right now, it can be easy to let money and the cost of living take a depressive hold of your mind and pocketbook. Raising children is no exception. The more there are of them, the more it costs to do anything, such as eat out, go to the pool, to the movies, etc. But, recently, my sister-in-law sent me this article from an anonymous author, through my e-mail and it was not only very positive, it was encouraging.
For the most part, I am fully aware of and enjoy the rewards that my children bring me every day, but it was nice to see a list of rewards written out, especially because it reminded me to love without counting the cost. Here is the article I received.
The Price Of Children:
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to eighteen years of age and came up with the following dollar amount for a middle income family. $160,140.00. Talk about sticker shock! This doesn't even cover college tuition. But $160,140.00 really isn't so bad if you break it down. This is what it translates into: $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, $171.08 a week, which is a mere $24.24 per child per day!
Just over a dollar an hour. Still, some will argue the best financial advice is "don't have children if you want to be 'rich,' when, actually, it is just the opposite. Think about what you get for your $160,140.00. Naming rights. First, middle and last. Glimpses of God's love every day. Giggles under the covers every night. More love than it seems your heart can hold.
Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. Endless wonder over rocks, bugs, cloud shapes and warm cookies. Always a hand to hold, usually covered in dirt, peanut butter and jelly, or chocolate. A friend for blowing bubbles and flying kites with. Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how bad your day was. For $160,140.00 you never have to fully grow up. You get to: finger-paint, dye Easter eggs, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and wish on stars.
You have an excuse to: keep reading picture books, play with play-doh, watch cartoons,
go to Disney movies and wear band-aids with characters on them.
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 a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for: retrieving a kitty off the porch roof, taking the training wheels off of a bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of hair, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the: First smile, First step, First word, First school day, First bra, First date, First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. Another branch added to your family tree, and if you're really lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
You get an extensive education in cooking, psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you know everything and can fix anything. 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. That is quite a deal for the price!
So, love and enjoy your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It is one of the best investments you will ever make.
Unknown Author
Copyright @ 2009 Jana Miller