Discussions

We have recently had Posts discussing the rights, or wrongs of Hutterite children suing their Colonies for labour they performed while growing up. I hope these people realise that they were not raised without financial cost to the Colony, and their parents.  
 
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. Talk about sticker shock. That doesn't even touch College tuition.  
 
For those with kids, that financial figure leads to wild fantasies about all the things we could have bought, all the places we could have traveled, all the money we could have banked if not for little Johnny, or Suzy.  
 
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, or just over $1.00 per hour.  
 
Still, you might think the best financial advice says, “don't have children if you want to be rich”.  
 
Arguably it's just the opposite.  
 
There's no way to put a price tag on:  
 
Feeling a new life move for the first time, and seeing the bump of a knee rippling across your skin.  
 
Having someone cry, "It's a boy!" or shout, "It's a girl!" then hearing the baby wail and knowing all that matters is it's healthy.  
 
Counting all 10 fingers and toes for the first time.  
 
Feeling the warmth of fat cheeks against your breast.  
 
Cupping an entire head in the palm of your hand.  
 
Making out da-da or ma-ma from all the cooing and gurgling.  
 
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, (I’m sorry we can’t afford Stocks can we?)  
 
Also 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, or the Tooth Fairy.  
 
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.  
 
You get to sit through Parent teacher interviews, School Plays, Christmas Pageants, Sports events, and field trips.  
 
For $160,140, there's 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 sliver from a finger, filling the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, pulling a loose tooth, 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, the first word, the first bra, the first date, the 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, or even 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 with God.  
 
You have the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away monsters under the bed, (you can now buy spray in a can to help with this) 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, (but not if you are certain Hutterite parent’s).  
 
For all other parent’s this is quite a deal for the price.  
 
Author: Unknown