Since I haven't blogged in a month or so, I found this article interesting and was printed in my church bulletin on Sunday.

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 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 $24.24 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's 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, and 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 the 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 Fathers 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 from a finger, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs and coaching a Baseball Team that never wins but always get treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in History to witness the: First Step, First Word, First Bra, First Date, and First time behind the Wheel. You get to be Immortal, you get another branch added to your family tree, and if you are lucky, a long list of names 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 powers to heal a Boo-Boo, scare away the Monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, and police a slumber party.

For all Parents, 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, It's the best investment you'll ever make. All in all a pretty good deal, even more so when we've survived a stroke.