Let the dog in!

Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal had an article about the cost of having a kid. It disputed the original estimate of $279,000 as the no-frills, bare bones model. The estimates skyrocketed over $1.5million when adding in extravagant parties, private school, extra classes, toys and trips that many parents offer their kids these days. I am sure there are a lot of extras received around here on Bainbridge Island, possibly even in my own house. The author claimed that older parents having one child often lavished such benefits on that child due to the parents’ guilt about the state of the world today. Guilt?! I don’t think I have guilt about the world. Gift-giving here is more likely due to being TIRED! Be “AMA” on your doctor’s chart — advanced maternal age (35+) — when you have a kid, and when you can’t sleep at night, you wonder if it is due to the kid bothering you or to the early stages of menopause! If my kid would be mesmerized by an iPod or a Playstation for a couple of hours, I’d give it to her, too! Just let me rest for a minute!

The article also examined costs relating to parents taking exotic trips with their kids to “round out” their child’s life experience. Now, whoooooo really wants to take that trip to Costa Rica or Belize? I’ll tell you who, the parents, or in our case, my spouse (ever since we got married in Belize). And me, too, I admit. I USED TO travel, before having a child. Then packing became the equivalent of a Rolling Stones’ tour, only without the roadies, groupies and drugs (rats!). Do you think a kid reads Traveler or Conde Nast? Ha! I know! It must be that Postcards from Buster show. The only trip my kid really wants to take is to the park. She’d want to know if Costa Rica has a slide.

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