Children are expensive. No matter how frugal you, children are definitely more expensive than choosing not to have children. However, when you try to directly talk about the economic problems of having children, the United States will encounter a special social resistance. The popular refutation is, “Oh, you will find it.” Although it is not completely unreal, I feel new pressure in the monthly budget and find that you can’t afford the differences between things you thought before you think of comfort Essence
The potential cost of pregnancy, childbirth, and raising children adopt a pragmatic attitude neither selfish nor indulgence. Under the ideal conditions, it is expensive, let alone thousands of costs may make couples who are experiencing fertility. It is not selfish to choose not to be a parent. The part of the reason is that your overall quality of life may be reduced by the price you can afford.
Prospective parents should definitely consider the economic consequences of having children, just like today’s parents should measure the cost of having more children.
What needs to be clear is that this is not just a declaration of children because of cost. On the contrary, this is a kind of effort that makes the conversation of all the consequences of choosing a child, not just saying “you will find it.” According to data from the Brucks Society, it is estimated that the number of children’s 18 -year -old middle -class families has exceeded $ 300,000, which is almost reassuring.
In the case of soaring inflation and fiscal tightening, the preparation method of “we will find” is particularly worrying. According to the 2022 US salary survey conducted by the US Wage Association, nearly three -quarters of Americans said that if their salary is delayed for one week, they will be difficult to fulfill their financial obligations. It is worth noting that the research results recently published at the JAMA Health Forum showed that childbirth hospitalization may be one of the most common sources of accidental medical expenses in the United States.
In addition, what does it mean to “figure out”? Does this mean that you will work longer to pay for new costs? It seems strange to let your child join your life, just for a long time to work for a long time. “Clarifying” does it mean to give up occupations to save childcare costs? Trying to find perfect alchemy is feasible to parents and mental health, and the best interest in the child is a tricky combination.
Parenting in the United States is not guaranteed, this is shameful. The current medium protection level is through the “Home Medical vacation law”, which protects the work of 12 weeks after childbirth or adoption. It is free, only asks you to come back to find a job. I don’t even know how trivial these terms are. Another problem is that only when you work for the company for one year and your employer has more than 50 employees within a 75 -mile radius, the private sector needs FMLA.
Of course, your employer may be kind and offers salaries-specific requirements-but according to the state of the State of the United States Labor Statistics, this accounts for 23 % of cultural workers.
In the United States, most expectant parents need to provide funds for their holidays. Short -term disabled plan, especially the plan provided by employers, is another possibility of subsidizing maternity leave costs. But suppose you are even qualified. Some parts of self -employed people, such as freelancers, may find it difficult to obtain disability insurance.
As a self -employed woman that mainly supports families, it is surprising that I am responsible for funding for maternity leave alone. My husband’s work does provide paid accompanying leave. But assuming that I gave birth to a child, and it was difficult to return to normal work shortly after birth. It is also difficult to discuss how to deal with children’s conservation and whether a person’s career should temporarily or permanently retire.
In our circumstances, my income is higher. Although this is unpredictable, my husband’s work provides the opportunity to get high -quality medical care and pension. We do not have real luxury goods. We take a step back and will not have a significant long -term impact on the future of our family’s finances. This is not the only one.
The most important thing is that according to the data of the Pew Research Center, about 44 % of Americans say they have no family nearby. 2022 care. According to data from www. CoM, those who do not have a family can help care, struggling with financial costs for outsourcing. Considering that 51 % of their parents said that they used 20 % of family income for nursery, which is a very worrying issue. investigation.
All these factors are the root cause of stress dreams and crazy Google search. As a 30 -year -old woman who clearly chooses to have children, she is now in a “timing bomb” state. I spent a lot of night processing numbers to decide whether my husband and I have to prepare for children in economy.
In the end, the potential cost of raising children to 18 -year -old is $ 300,000, followed by another, for example, Potential250000 of college education. This may also make the parents (at least this) worry that the money saved will not make people feel enough to take this step.
I didn’t find some comfort until I saw Eric Roberge’s blog post. He was a certified financial planner and the founder of Beyond Your Hammer. Roberge’s post boldly titled “What needs to be preserved before childbirth may be a wrong question.” He believes that focusing on savings is misleading, but you should focus on cash flow. Of course, whether it is childbirth or adoption, there will be early costs related to childbirth, but the greater consideration is how the new projects in your budget match your income.
When you consider raising your child’s estimated $ 300000 will fluctuate over time, cash flow is also the most important. The cost of the day care will eventually be subsidized by the school, especially if you send your child to a public school. However, the children’s life may be accompanied by expensive activities or medical expenses (hello, braces).
However, this is still a fact. No matter how much money you want to save or future cash flow, the child’s prediction cost is cautious. Of course, calculations and plans are almost impossible for each potential variable, but the basic financial security network is practical and key.
