Good article on how to overcome concerns regarding the cost of starting a family.
My rant on some folks' criticisms of the article (said criticisms being of the "How nice for you" variety--ho hum...).
About Me
- Anonymous Bosh
- Maintaining views that manage to alienate a majority of potential constituencies, I continue to ponder global inconsistencies--aloud. Friends, insofar as I have any, having grown tired of my daily diatribes had lately begun suggesting that I start a blog, if only to relieve their suffering. Et voici, voilà.
2 comments:
Parenting is hard work. Let me rephrase that: being a good parent is hard work. Good defined (by me) as a parent who continuously works at learning to be a better parent, retooling as needed.
We (my bride and I) are not parents because of cultural pressure or "next-step" expectations (mostly not anyway). We are fortunate to be in a position to nurture (financially and otherwise, I know, again "How nice for you") humans into loving, productive citizens.
It bugs me when parents say that their young children are the "light of my life" or "such a joy." While those things may be true, the amount of patience and persistence needed to rear good young children (responsible, educated, affectionate) is enough to make me physically ill some nights.
I have no idea how this applies to the cost of raising children other than to reinforce the importance of planning (before and/or after conception) mentally and financially.
There I go again with the "Right on Bosh!" and "That's exactly how I feel." Oh well.
Parenting *is* hard work! And I can really understand how much easier it would be to just "give in" to requests/demands. It would be so much nicer--in the short term--to be the font of all bounty, to win smiles by spoiling our children with toys and sweets.
But we, really, are not here to treat, but to teach, guide, train and prepare. And how can we do so if we are not ourselves prepared?
That said: parenting is one job with a whole lotta OJT (especially if your parents were among those many boomers who severed the link with their OWN parents, thus denying us much useful conventional wisdom).
Wanna hear one long-term project I have (maybe I'll post about it)? I am figuring out a way to set up a Roth IRA for my crowd of under-10s. I have no doubt that, once they find out about it, they will think I am a total nerd, and I also have little doubt that when they hit 40 or thereabouts, they will think I am a genius, and praise me for the foresight and fortitude to make it happen.
I won't go into details, but the magic of compound interest should make even a small account look large over the course of 30 years or so (with 25 MORE years to simmer before the recipient retires...).
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