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. That doesn't even touch college tuition. It translates to $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day - just over a dollar an hour. 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.
- Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
- A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
- A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites.
- 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
You have an excuse to keep:
- Reading the adventures of Piglet and Pooh
- Watching Saturday morning cartoons
- Going to Disney movies
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 backwards 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 a bike.
- Removing a splinter.
- Filling a wading pool.
- Coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs.
You get a front-row seat to history to witness the:
- First step
- First word
- First date
- First time behind the wheel
That is quite a deal for the price.
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