This morning while getting ready for work, I was watching one of the early morning shows (I forget which one now) but they were talking about how much it costs to raise a child. They say that it costs about $200,000 to raise one child from infancy until they are 18 years old. Whoa! you mean if I didn’t have kids I could be a millionaire now?!!
No one can deny your lifestyle certainly changes when you have children, but it was interesting to see the costs broken down like that. Looking at the costs, they are actually pretty conservative. If you have a child in daycare you’ll know that $9,900 is VERY conservative. I know parents who pay that yearly for childcare. And if you have teenagers, you can only wish they would only spend $660 a year on clothing. I have three girls, and I think they spent that last weekend! I’m exaggerating. It was only half that. 
No matter what the cost though, any parent will tell you it’s worth every penny. And that no matter how much we spend on them, we always somehow end up wishing we could do more. At least I do. I always wish I am able to give them more material things (even though I do realize and accept that it isn’t everything and won’t make them happy) but I wish more that I am able to give them more of my time and patience.
Entries (RSS)
so that means if i had 5 kids, by the time they\’re 18, they\’re worth a million dollars hehe.
and yes, i think giving them lots of love, patience and time impacts them more than any money we could give. and its free hehe.
Seeing this in written form is shocking! But in reality is makes complete sense. Very interesting!
Hi JMom! I finally found my way here. Hee hee!
So sorry about that.
Hmmm, raising a kid costs that much, huh! It looks like my Abby might really end up an only child. Kidding! Anyway, our kids are well worth every penny and every drop of blood, sweat and tears. We’re going to move heaven and earth to give them what they need. And it would sure be nice if we could also give them some “wants”.
If only love and patience could pay for their tuition, they’ll all be Harvard bound. Hahaha! 
Hi Meeya, agree…. it’s totally free hehe! and they will probably benefit more from it than any material things we can give them.
Hi Ana, I know, it seems like such a huge sum of money when you see it this way. It’s actually not so bad when it becomes part of your everyday spending habit.
Hi Weng, welcome to our home
I’m investing my love and patience so maybe my girls will get scholarships to Harvard. lol!
JMom,
it always warms my heart to read about selfless and generous parents like yourself. truly, you are a millionaire, maybe not so much in monetary value, but in the love and good intentions and generosity that you give your kids. Happy Women’s Month to you. God Bless.
oh tell me about it, jmom! for some reason, we parents end up spending more if the kids are along shopping. my daughter is into shoes and last Christmas she asked for the latest style of Ugg boots but she have a good head on her shoulders so, she deserved it.
I think I’m better off being ignorant and not reading your chart!
to love kids is already a great wealth .. kids will give you back the love that you shared to them .. that makes you rich in love
Hi Jop, great to have you visit. Thanks
Hi Nance, my daughter was into Ugg boots this season too. They are really ugly if you ask me lol! the price is not pretty either.
Hi Joan, yeah, I thought the same too. I wish I hadn’t seen that article then I wouldn’t be wondering about all the money I could have had. lol!
Amen, troubled teen. They are our greatest wealth.
I agree with you about the estimate being conservative. We raised our kids in the 80’s and 90’s, and it could easily have cost that much even then. It’s not something you think a lot about going in, but there are way more variables than shown on that chart!
Wow, that’s something how it adds up. Of course, if one were to add up the costs of owning a car, or of keeping ones self fed/clothed/entertained, it would probably be much higher than we expected as well.
I think that the joy in seeing my little girl happy, and thought of knowing that she is safe and unharmed, the sight of her beautiful smile, the feeing I get when she hugs me and tells me that she loves me, listening to her sing in church, hearing her teachers tell me how wonderful she is. These are just a few of the things that money cannot buy. No matter what the cost, there is never enough that I can do for my child either. She is a gift from God, not something that I got from the supermarket.
You would have been a millionaire but I guess you would have missed a lot of other things with your kids - that’s priceless
Well, the way I see it, we don’t have kids… neither are we millionaires… hahaha! Seriously though, I think that’s the way the road turns. You have kids, you have responsibilities to them, you are given a means to fulfill those responsibilities. You don’t have kids, you don’t need the means. Nobody gets any extra. Of course it’s a rough draft, nothing is as clear cut but if it worked that way, would have been sweet, don’t you think?
Personally though, I’d take the kids anytime… just as you have.