The following is important information for women contemplating motherhood. The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 years of age and came up with $160,140 for a middle-income family. Sounds like a lot, but it’s not bad if you break it down - $8, 896/year, $741/month, $171/week, $24/day, $1/hour.
And what’s the return on your investment? Naming rights – first, middle, and last. Giggles under the covers every night. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs. A hand to hold, although it’s covered with jelly or chocolate. You also get to upgrade your skills at finger-painting, pumpkin carving, and playing hide-and-seek. You have an excuse to watch Saturday morning cartoons, go to Disney movies, and read the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh.
You get endless artwork to attach to the refrigerator with magnets, hand prints set in clay for Mother’s day, and the opportunity to coach a soccer team that never wins. You can be a hero simply for removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, or retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof. You get a front seat in history for a first step, a first word, and the first time behind the wheel.
You receive the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground this child forever, and love him/her without limits, so that one day, this kid will, like you, love without counting the cost. Quite a deal for $160,140. But understand, this doesn’t include college.. -DJ
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