Measuring the Cost of Children
Recently, I have again been reading articles discussing the extraordinary cost of raising children. As frugalites, do we really need to be concerned? Granted, if progeny had never graced my home, there might be more clothes in my closet, a pantry filled with gourmet items, and my savings account a tad bit larger, but let's look at the raising of children from another perspective.
A sampling of the practical benefits of children in my home are as follows:
- Lawn care (almost one acre mowed without a riding mower)
- IT services are available 24/7 ( I am not tech savvy)
- Personal editing of my posts (I went to public school)
- Cleaning help that even washes windows! (with some motivation)
Continuing to reflect on the advantages of having children, I have found there are more minds and hands to discover frugal treasures, more swagbucks multiplying in my account, and I often have my own personal chauffeur to take me where ever I need to go! Think about it, who needs an interior decorator when you have a daughter, or someone to open a door when you have a son?
On the other hand, how could there ever be a monetary value assigned to the hugs of a toddler? Or the joy of seeing an adult child stand firm for a truth dear to your heart? What about the benefit of a family working and sacrificing together to accomplish a goal? Please do not misunderstand me. I am in no way minimizing the challenges of parenting, but I can honestly tell you, I have never had a day I was sorry for the investment made in my children, only days when I wanted to have more of them at my table.
And let's not forget how our children aid society. Mine already contribute to Social Security and pay their taxes, albeit not by choice. They also plan to save future taxpayers from the cost of nursing-home care by being responsible for my husband and me in old age.
In my opinion, the "cost" of having children can not only be measured monetarily. The benefits and blessings of being a parent far exceed any price tag placed upon the process. To me, practicing frugality could never mean choosing to have fewer children. What about you?
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2 Responses to “Measuring the Cost of Children”
September 8th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Children are a wonderful gift and it’s a very harsh thing when people measure them only by money. Sadly you do need a fairly good grounding otherwise you could give the children a life time of misery ultimately leading to them being depressed etc etc etc. Not saying you need to be rich but you do need to make sure that basic provisions and a sound understanding of the world can be given to them.
The children are our future and I believe frugality and cutting back on consumption will save this world from a lot of problems, so the real cost of children depends on how we educate them and what they give back to our planet.
Sorry that’s a bit dramatic
but you get my drift!!
September 8th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Oh, I love this post!
Isn’t it wonderful how often God blesses us for obedience, and makes the wisdom of the world into foolishness?
We don’t have children for the financial advantages, but they certainly *DO* come with financial advantages. Meanwhile, many people avoid having children because of the perceived financial disadvantages.
Not only are they missing out on the simple joys of parenting, but also all the advantages you mentioned and more.
Not too long ago, it was widely held that the poor *needed* children because they were so poor. Children were known as a source of wealth, worldly and otherwise.
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