The cost of raising a child

http://www.babycenter.com/cost-of-raising-child-calculator

We were watching TV last night and on one of the comedies we were watching they made a comment about how the average cost to raise a child was $342,000. Not sure if they are including college but whatever. That is an extreme amount of money.

So I got to thinking and looked up the average cost to raise a child and found the calculator on babycenter's website. Going by that calculator, the average cost to raise my daughter is roughly $208,000. That is the total amount and that is NOT including college. Over two hundred thousand dollars. Holy crap. Do you know how much child support I recieve a week? $40. Yes a whopping $40.

Let's break it down...

Average total cost (18 Years)= $208,000.
Average yearly cost= $11,555
Average monthly cost= $960
Average weekly cost= $220
Average cost that SHOULD be split between parents would then be the $220 so divided by 2 = $120

And I get $340 a week?

The way I look at it... Capt. DB really owes me roughly $37,000 in back child support. For the last 9 years. That would be the amount if he actually had paid $40 a week for 9 years. He really has only paid that $40 for maybe 4 years (rounding WAY up in his favor) and then a few payments other than that.

Kids are expensive. My daughter sees who writes the checks though, I don't need to tell her and her father can say "Your Mom takes all my money" all he wants... when she is an adult she will KNOW who supported her... so I guess that makes it worth it.

What is on my mind...

stress
Definition:
1. strain felt by somebody: mental, emotional, or physical strain caused, e.g. by anxiety or overwork. It may cause such symptoms as raised blood pressure or depression.

Stress... that is what is on my mind today. That and the whole "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" thing. That has really been bothering me... because I've certainly got way more on my plate right now than I can handle... starting with Captain DB. I don't think God had planned for him.

So I searched that quote and came up with this website... one of many. http://rickbeckman.org/bible-verse-that-says-god-will-never-give-us-more-than-we-can-handle/

And in this website I learned that maybe that isn't what God meant. And that made me feel better. Because the past couple weeks I have been telling myself that I had to handle this. I was going to be fine, despite my daily panic attacks and being unsuccessful in quitting smoking no matter how hard I try. And the weekly sobfest where I wonder if I'm a good Mother at all and if I am really doing right by Alivia.

Stress, stress, go away.