posted on April 20, 2001 08:52:06 PM new
I got this in email, and thought people may enjoy it here.
The Price of a Child
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 for a
middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! 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 your 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
$8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $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?
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 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.
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 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.
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, Santa
Claus, The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
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!!!!!!!
Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not come yet. I will live just
for today. All of the tomorrows are brand new todays.
Rick
In the begining, God created the heavens and the earth.
posted on April 20, 2001 09:02:10 PM new
Thank you so much for sharing this with me....I have to go.......I need to get a Kleenex and give my babies a little kiss on their heads as they sleep in their beds.....My kids are my heart and soul......they make my world go round.....Thank you for reminding me .....my kids are priceless!
Hard telling what or who may pop up: not that I ever hid myself to begin with...........