[Lizavetta]

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 (US) for a middle-income family

How can anyone with more than two brain molecules possibly believe this?

How can you live in the United States that abounds in millions of low and middle income families - most with two or more kids - who will clearly never spend that on raising their kids because they can't afford to......and buy this BS?

And since when has ANY prediction of cost determined by the government been even remotely right?

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

(See post #26.....)

[patton]

Huh? Christopher cost in excess of $100,000 dollars before he was three months old. Heck, he took a helicopter ride that was $16k.

He is now 10, and only more expensive.

Estimate seems low to me.

[Iron Eagle]

well -- it may not be all that ridiculous, really. Of course, most of the numbers are averages and percentages. And, if one thinks of the 8,900 per-child only as cash transactions specific to a child, it is less likely. But, built into that cost are cloths, groceries, diapers, health care, a portion of housing costs, vacations, tuition/registration, automobiles, phones, TV's entertainment. Heck -- the cost of my health care for a family plan is 400 more per-month than it would be if I had no kids -- that's 4,800 dollars right there.

[PaRebel]

It is typical of the government to reduce somethng as fundamental as a child to dollars and cents! It simply cannot be done. To see how feckless the government accountants are, I would like to see the breakdown of the sum.