Message Submitted by the President of the Montana Right to Life Organization, Original Author Unknown

The Cost of a Child

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18, and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so 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 says don't have children if you want to be "rich."  It is just the opposite.  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 wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building  sand-castles, 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 get to put rainbows, hearts, and flowers and original masterpieces on your refrigerator.

For $160,140, 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 the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of hair, and coaching a baseball  team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream  regardless.

You get a front row seat to 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're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary  called 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 with God.

You have all the power to heal an owie, 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.

PRESIDENT LETTER ARCHIVES

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