The Cost of  Children 
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! 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. 
 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) !!!!!!