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Children are the future in any society, and obviously this applies regardless of race, religion or any of the many other factors which are used to categorise us all.
Looked at on a pound for pound basis, statistics tell us that to raise an 8lb baby to adulthood at around 150lbs is likely to cost us (according to information gathered by Liverpool Victoria) £1000 per pound weight - an expensive commodity! That is a total of around £140,000; this is a staggering sum which is made up of a vast array of consumables and includes everything from furniture items down to disposable nappies and even baby wipes. It is only necessary to look into the price of children's clothes, with a tiny pair of shoes sometimes a significant percentage of the price of adult sizes, to realise that the costs of bringing up a child are going to be fairly spectacular.
Not surprising then that new parents are reported to underestimate the likely costs they are going to face. Indeed, when research by American Express produces the fact that nearly 50% of parents are unaware of just what the costs of parenting are, and bear in mind that these are people who already have experience of paying the bills, then one can only say how amazing it is that 50% didn't underestimate the figure. The costs relating directly to raising a family would almost certainly produce a drastic reduction in the birth rate if the total sum had to be found in one lot; the fact that it is a slow attrition of the bank balance which takes place over some 20 years softens the blow somewhat. Nevertheless, finding this level of funds day in, day out over an extended period must put a considerable strain on any family's finances - little wonder then that many children are referred to as 'little treasures'! |
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