by Garry Shepherd

Created on: January 26, 2009

The good, the bad and the ugly things you should consider before becoming a parent. It would take more than eighteen years to list every good bad and ugly, so I will just touch the basics. As a parent and in fairness of the love I have for my children, I will begin with the bad.

THE BAD

Financial considerations:

Be prepared to spend every extra cent you have on them. From the time they are conceived until after they move out you incur great financial cost. It begins with pre-natal care and birthing costs, the average cost is $8,500.00, this is before they are even born.

I heard once that from the time a child is conceived, to the time they leave home, the average family spends over one million dollars on a single child. I believe this to be true and if I were to have an accountant go over just eighteen years, of only one of my children's expenses, might even believe it to be significantly more.

I have spent thousands upon thousands on daycare, diapers, clothes, school expenses and activities, after school dance and baseball activities, car-seats, bottles, cribs, beds, bedding, furniture (yearly and sometimes monthly), food, shelter, transportation to accommodate a child, car repairs for their vehicle, college funds, marriage expenses (when they got married) and financial support including co-signing for cars, college and support in times of need.

This also includes medical, dental, insurance and other expenses that having children gives you the great opportunity to endure. One year my son Mike got his teeth knocked out at a baseball game, it required constructive surgery and a set of nice new teeth in the front and a bunch of crowns in the back. Cost for just this expense over 18,000.00 one kid. Every year, it seems one kid has had some kind of major medical need or expense, whether accidental, genetic or just plain misfortune. It puts a huge dent in the wallet.

Time considerations:

Where did the time go? That's right, Monday night is family night. Tuesday night Jacob has soccer, Tammy has dance, Jessica has piano, oh wait, Mike has baseball Tuesday, Jessica's piano is Wednesday. Thursdays Jacobs play and scouts for Mike. Friday is the dance, Mike needs the car, so no going out for us. Saturday is recitals and performances, housecleaning and laundry catch up, Sunday is church. You get the point.

There is no time any more for yourself. No more running around the house in your skivvy's lounging around drinking beer after you worked a twelve hour shift (because you have

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