Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Price of Children!!

Jeremy got this in an e-mail. I LOVED it and so here it is.

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absoluly positive for a change. It's 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 price shock!
That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,

* $741.38 a month,

* $171.08 a week.

* A mere $24.24 a day!

* Just over a dollar an hour.


Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?



* 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 jelly or chocolate.

* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.

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



For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,

* carve pumpkins,

* play hide-and-seek,

* catch lightning bugs,

* never stop believing in Santa Claus.


You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,

* watch Saturday morning cartoons,

* go to Disney movies, and

* wish 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 a mere $24.24 a day, 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 a 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 in history to witness the:

* First step,

* First word,

* First bra,

* First date,

* 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 and great 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 under 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. That is quite a deal for the price!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best
investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

First Bra? Seriously Debbie, that doesn't apply in the Tucker family. You should have cut that one out.

In all reality, though, as big as the price may be, it is all very worth it (well, except when the little hooligans unload every object from every cupboard in less than 30 seconds...but you know, they are still cute).

Tom and Annette said...

Great post, I like Phil am foreign to the bra thing. You might want to add the marsh mellow experience with Austilawego. Hope that swimming is going well, take care of your Investments. Love ya all.