We were recently reading an article that discussed the “Costs – and Rewards – of Being a Parent”.Studies show that a middle-income family will spend $160,140 to raisea child to 18 years old. Is it worth it? How do children stack up as a"return on investment"?$160,140 translates into $8,896 a year, $741 a month, $171 a week, $24a day, $1 an hour. Then we thought about Kylie and Lola and about what we get for $1 an hour?Well, for $1 an hour, you never have to grow up, because:You get to frame rainbows and hearts, and get handprints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek , and never stop believing in Santa Claus.You have an excuse to keep reading the adventures of “ Piglet and Pooh”,watching cartoons, going to silly movies, and wishing on stars.
What else do your get for your $1 an hour?Glimpses of magic every day.Giggles under the covers every night.More love than your heart can hold. A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.A partner for blowing bubbles,flying kites, building sandcastles, andskipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain. You get someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said that day.
For $1 an hour, you get to be a hero:Just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, or taking thetraining wheels off the bike.You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first. You get to be immortal. 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 are all-knowing and all-powerful.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.Sounds like the best $1 you can spend!

Labels: Cost of being parents