The Price of Children
This is just too good not to pass on. Here's something absolutely positive for a change. I have seen 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.
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle-income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.'
Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* 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 jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and* wish 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 a mere $24.24 a day, 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, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra, (let's hope not with Charlie!!!)
* First date,
* 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 and 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 under 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. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love and enjoy your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren! It's the best investment you'll ever make!
Charlie has really started to take an interest in our English Bulldog, Huey. He loves when Huey comes to see him and is always up for a "conversation." 
Here lately, Charlie is all about "petting" Huey. Thank goodness Huey is good with him. He will come right up to Charlie and sniff at him and they just lie down and let Charlie touch and "pet" him. We have to be careful, though, as Huey still thinks he is Charlie's size. He sometimes will sneak a nibble in ... Charlie doesn't mind though!
Charlie is working on pulling up ... we don't have a lot of places in our living room to practice so he decided Huey was just as good. He didn't make it up on his feet here ... Huey wasn't up for providing kiddie rides that night!
Charlie's newest fascination ... Huey's cage. We have always used Huey's cage as a "safe spot" for him and this is his little home. He sleeps here throughout the day while we are at work and at night. He loves his cage!! Even when he is free to roam the house when we are home in the evenings and weekends, Huey will sometimes just hang out here. We leave it open so that he can get in and out as he pleases. Charlie is absolutely intrigued with it, especially the door. He has learned how to open and close the latch now and will sit there as long as I let him and play with the door. Thank goodness there are two latches on the door -- the higher one he can't reach.
Huey just sits calmly and watches Charlie play ....
