Wednesday, February 9, 2005

The Joys of Parenthood

Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince", 1943, French writer (1900 - 1944)

The article below was written by an anonymous writer and had been going around the blogging communities but I want it in one of my entries because I want to share it with those who have not seen it and also for it to be a part of my annual blog copies which I want to bind and keep for my children to share with anybody they care to share it with. 

 

 

The Cost of Kids & Grandkids

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 sticker shock! That does not even touch college tuition.But $160,140 is NOT so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That is a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.


Still, you might think the best financial advice says do not have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.What do your get for your $160,140?


*Naming rights--- First, middle, and last!
*Glimpses of God everyday.
*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 sand castles, 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 Land, and wishing on stars.
*You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, handprints 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 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 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 are 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.
*You have all the power to heal a booboo, 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.

 

**** I also want to thank those who came to my rescue and sent me wonderful "easy, non-flammable recipes" to help me out with the cooking inadequacies featured in my last entry. I  love J Landers!!!! I enjoy cooking for my family and I am really not that bad at it. My hubby said I misrepresented the wife he knew and he swore that he would rather eat my cooking than eat out any day. Now, isn't that sweet? Though my kids might beg to differ (they programmed the phone speed dial with the pizza delivery guy's number). ****

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

A very interesting entry. Thank you xx

Anonymous said...

Ahh the beauty of being a parent. Weighing the cost vs. the gain, I'd take the gain anyday. I can struggle with alot of things in my life, but my children, they will always be my touchstone, my blessing, the one thing I'll carry with me forever through my life and know I did a great job. The badge of Motherhood I carry proudly and would toss a million bucks in a fire just to be their Mom........
Rebecca

Anonymous said...

ah yeah kids always want pizza that does not mean your cooking is bad. YOu know the cost of kids is more than money> I hate to think of the years and grey hairs heck they forgot to add the hair dye i Have to use becuase of hte kids and wrinkle cremes on that chart LOL Imean they are because  of them.I forgot to send you a flamelss recipie. Sorry I mean to then all this brokel oose and my feeble mind forgot. Dang it. Lori

Anonymous said...

I'd say that is a bargain!  They left out getting to watch PeeWee's Big Adventure (I watch it when no little ones are around sometimes!!!).

Anonymous said...

LOVED This!!!
http://journals.aol.com/astaryth/AdventuresofanEclecticMind

Anonymous said...

Awww, very nice.
V

Anonymous said...

This is such a great story thing!
That's sweet what your hubby said.
-Haley

Anonymous said...

this was wonderful. judi

Anonymous said...

I always loved The Little Prince-loved this too! I agree 120%!

Anonymous said...

Awesome entry!!

~Danielle

http://journals.aol.com/danielled1/Everybodyknows/

Anonymous said...

From my experience, this means ONE thing ... your hubby WANTS something ... BAD!

Anonymous said...

I've seen this before...it's such a good reminder, though for all of us!

Anonymous said...

Did Pennie send you her meatloaf recipe? Bosox says he hopes it's her only copy.

Anonymous said...

I must confess.  Pizza Hut was number 2 on our speed dial for a very long time. But that was because three teens worked their way, stairstep, through highschool there.  

I enjoy your journal.  I hope to visit often.  Thanks for the kind words you left on mine.  I do appreciate the opportunity to visit new journals, and this one makes me recall some pretty awesome moments.

Much good luck in your work.

Live yer bliss!

Anonymous said...

$24.00 a day hmmm?   It's obvious the government never took 3 kids to McDonalds for lunch.   ~Sie

Anonymous said...

i'm going to show this to my mom & explain to her she got a good deal with my brother and me! -=)

i love the Little Prince quote.  it is absolutely true! lol

Anonymous said...

Screw the price.  I'd pay 10 times that or more.  I don't think you can put a sticker-price on something like that.  Great, great, great entry.  :D