So... Worth the Sacrifice!

I recently had a conversation with a friend who was wondering if having children was something that she wanted to do.  She said that from the outside looking in it seemed like quite a sacrifice.  I felt like her question to me was,  "Are they worth the sacrifice?" I assured her with a definite YES...they are worth the sacrifice!  Today as I was thinking about this conversation, it reminded me of a passage in a book I read years ago, when Caroline was around 1 years old.

 "Nurturing The Leader Within Your Child" by Dr. Tim Elmore.

  Sweet Caroline was only one and I was already reading books on how to nurture the leader within her☻

 I remembered the passage because it had so blessed me when I read it, so today I went and found the book on my bookshelf and read it again... It is so good that I just have to share it with you!  If you are anything like me you may need tissue as you read.

The  passage below comes from the book "Nurturing The Leader Within Your Child"
 by Dr. Tim Elmore

"The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to age eighteen. The price came to 160,140 for a middle income family.  Talk about a sticker shock!  That figure doesn't even touch college tuition.  For those with kids, that price tag leads to wild fantasies about all the things we could have bought, all the places we could have traveled, all the money we could have banked if not for " little Billy." For others that number might confirm the decision to remain childless.  But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That is a mere $24.22 a day. Just over a dollar an hour, Still you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be rich. I think it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140

• Naming rights, First, middle, and last
• Glimpses of God every day
• Giggles under the covers every night
• More love than your heart can hold
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jam
• A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, and building sand castles
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks did

For $160,140 you get to be a hero. In the eyes of a young child your rank right up there with God.  You  have the power to heal a boo boo, scare away monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and raise a young man or young woman to a be a world changer. You also get to love them without limits, so one day they will like you, love with out counting the cost."

I told you you would need tissue...I did, and I can not count how many times I have read this passage. ☻

Being Caroline, Zachary, and Annie-Lauren's momma  has been the hardest job I have ever had.... It has also been the most rewarding. Sacrifices have been made,... but the rewards have so out weighed any of the sacrifices.

"Children are the living messages we send into a time we will not see"  ~Neal Postman

Caroline, Zachary, and Annie-Lauren will be the living messages Getano and I send  into a time that we will not see... I pray that they are messages of character, integrity, and love of others...

So... are children worth the sacrifice?... YES!!!  So much so, that I would say that if you do not have any of your own, borrow some and start investing in them... The return on your investment can not be measured!!!!

Annie-Lauren, Caroline, Zachary