The government recently calculated
the cost of raising a child
from birth to the age of eighteen
and came up with the figure ~$160,140
for a middle-income family.
Talk about sticker shock!!
That doesn't even touch college tuition.
For those with kids,
that figure leads to wild fantasies
about all the things we could have had.
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 wonders over rocks, ants,
clouds and warm cookies.
A hand to hold,
often sticky with jelly, or peanut butter.
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. . .
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.