The design team at Early Childhood Education sent me the graphic below. What are your thoughts? Do we think enough about how much children cost before deciding when and how many children to have? Have you ever worked out how much you need to put aside for your child’s education? Is this graphic relevant to those of us on the continent? Share your thoughts…
Created by: EarlyChildhoodEducation.com
15 comments On Costly kids. Our bundle of joy comes with a bundles of problems
Well if you aint ready financially, emotionally, and physically to handle kids do not have them. This ‘Nyame na ohwe mmofra’ thing is silly but that seems like what somme Ghanaians believe. Adorable as they may be, kids cost a lot in care, education and everything. But when you are really ready, hey they are the best joy. My tupence.
It appears most of the figures do not relate to Ghana except college fees if the parent aspires US college education for their kids. I will be interested in knowing the figues as it pertains to Ghana. This article is useful, however, it has has been written from a very selfish point of view without appreciation of the benefits, if any, of having kids. In my opinion if one wants one or two kids, as ND will say, as insurance policy towards future regret then one do not need to be completely financially ready especially if one is on a career path that has the likelihood of increased future earnings. If everyone were to wait until they are fully ready financially, phychologically etc before having any child perhaps only 10% of people will have kids. By the time the ladies or couple are ready financially the bilogical clock would probably have ticked away and one would have to rely on fertility treatements, surrogate mums etc which will even push the cost further. In my opinion it is the individual or couples that want to have more than one child have to think seriously about these childcare costs and be sure that they are fully ready before going ahead.
In conclusion this article really gives food for thought for those who want to have children. Sadly the people who need the message the most are the ones who will not get this message and even if they do will not agree with it. Thats why a country like China has a one child policy. Barbaric as it sounds I think African countries will have to adopt some aspects of this policy. For example a maximum of two instead of one child per family and a humane face in implementing it.
lol, i think my parents r among the 60% of peeps who started havin sex when the kids left the nest. i barged in2 their room once and caught ’em @ it (my mum wouldnt even come out frm under the covers). Gasp, the horror! and to think i used to think they didnt hv sex. Stupid, silly me!
Please if you’re reading this and you have one child and have decided to have only one child i want to ask what you think abt ppl sayin u need to hv at least 2 as a ‘safety net’. Thank you. Love y’all
Children are an investment! Have what you can afford, otherwise, you and them become a burden to the society at large. I am praying that my husband is comfortable with the FACT of knowing that I am NOT going to go to the maternity ward again, after birthing his ONE and only begotten DAUGHTER. If she comes out as a he, I’ll auction him on e-bay, be on the lookout!
I love those adorable, annoying, ugly lil’ midgets. I don’t have any but I can’t wait to have them. Can you imagine how horrible it is to be 35 and not have kids. Feels like I have just wasted my life.. Sowing wild oats is overrated,will trade it all in for some kids.
As daddy says, you can never be totally ready for kids. You just make do and make massive mistakes along the way. Apparently grand kids are quite swell…, you should have kids just for the grand kids 🙂
@Ekuba you must be a ‘naughyty’ girl from infancy!. How on earth did you barg into your parents bedroom without knocking? I thought african were to knock before entering their parents bedroom lol! How on earth were u thinking ur parents were not having sex?. Now you know don’t go barging into other married people’s bedroom whether or not you think they do have sex okay.
charley, Kweku, you’re right about me being naughty from infancy! as a fellow wednesday born person, you must know better than anyone else how mischievous we wednesday borns are (i daresay, this is the reason why the akan appellation for wednesday borns denotes ‘evil’ ie: kweku’s appellation is bonsam and akua’s is obisi which means evil. i’m equally sure that’s why the nursery rhyme says wednesday’s child is full of woe:) ) hmm, i just assumed they werent having sex because i just could not imagine them doing it! i swear, until i turned like 25, i assumed that they’d probably had sex till they turned 55 and then sex just lost its attraction for them. of course i was wrong. yes, your’re right, i’ve learnt the hard way to always knock on people’s doors before i enter!
in other news, my boo and i got back together. your suggestions worked so thanks a million! wink wink.
@Ekuba glad that you are back with your boo. I told you we men are not that complicated unless we are playing games. Glad the suggestion worked. You owe me a drink the next time I am in Ghana. I hope thats not too much to ask for.
it isnt at all! I’d say i owe you two drinks actually 🙂
Hi y’all. I am an ardent reader of issues on this site, but have never commented on any topic, cos I thought it’d be embarrassing if anyone i know, read any of my comments and would figure out it was me! I told my boy friend about this site a few months ago and we read and discuss most of the topics together. I decided to let go of my embarrassment a few days ago and promised myself to start commenting on issues, the next topic. And i must admit i’m glad my first comment is on this topic! I figure this it is a safe one to start with, so here goes:
Kids indeed are expesive, whether you count your cost in cedis or dollars, kids are EXPENSIVE! I have an adorable three year old, talks ‘nineteen to the dozen’ and is my source of joy! But boy, she is expensive!
From the day i found out i was pregnant till date, a day hasn’t gone by that i do not spend on my bundle of joy. I am not complaining, far from it. Cos i chose to have her knowing the full implications.
Babies need clothes, diapers, food, toys and all the fancy accessories that come with having a baby. then when they become toddlers, you have to to start thinking about school (working mother), nanny, more clothes, more food, more toys, (now add books and educational materials). Along with school comes tuition fees/feeding fees/miscellaneous charges etc. And all this means, more spending, little or (sometimes) nothing to save!
Education is costly, (and of course i want the best for my little angel). Best education = more cost! And on this note i’d like to register my displeasure at the obscene amounts some of these pre-schools charge for registration/admission and tuition! Some charge in the dollars (i think it depends on location) I work in Cantonments and wanted to find a school nearby so as to come and leave together with my angel. I went asking around and three of the schools i’ve been to, two of them charge in $$! one of the $$ school charges $1,500! $700-enrollment and $800 for tuition! (mind you, it excludes feeding and uniforms etc!) Now if i had to pay $800 every term for three terms a year, that would amount to $2,400 a year! (oh and not to forget, school fees are increased at the discretion of the school every term!)
In all honesty, how many parents in Ghana can afford that much to “edutain” (educate & entertain) their child? I wanted to cut down on transportation/nanny cost, hence my decision to find a school near my workplace for my daughter. But educating a child in cantonments is more freaking expensive than in other places! !!???
The school she currently goes to, fortunately does not charge in $$! phew! Albeit, the average Ghanaian will find it expensive! Gh450 a term (increments every academic year), feeding fees/ uniforms etc all add up to about Gh600 or more every term (depending on percentage of increment in fees).
I don’t even want to start on medical bills, housing etc. I believe many parents in other parts of the world can relate to this.
I hope this helped.
Hi Peaches. I am so glad you commented, and shared your own experiences around the realities of parenting. Thank you so much. I am also THRILLED that you and your boyfriend read the site together. That is radical, and will hopefully also encourage some radical love making 😛
Please keep the comments coming…bloggers like myself live for feedback 🙂
Nana Darkoa,
I had to add to your thrill by commenting – yes, the boyfriend decided to register his presence and give you two thumbs for the bold and classy adventure that this site is. I’ve been impressed with the quality of writing, the levels of sophistication of the people who post on the site, as well as at the sincerity that sexual experiences and perspectives are respectfully discussed. Kudos.
My thoughts on the topic at hand – yes, kids are expensive; kids cost money and time (going to PTA, Girl Scouts, soccer, birthdays, Sunday School, camp, and all the things that modern day parents do).
However, if you and your partner can afford 3-4 kids I encourage you to have them. Kids are expensive but a national 1-child policy will be dangerous for the future of our society.
@ManInChocolateskin if a national 1-child policy is dangerous what about a 2-child policy? I believe african countries need to take steps to reduce the rate of population growth. If the current trend continues Ghana’s population will soon be 100million in no time. If that happens there will no longer be adequate arable land to farm on to feed the increasing population and likewise our infrastructure will be stretched beyond limit. The exponential increase in our population cannot go on indefinitely and is unsustainable. We need to reduce the rate of population below 1%. If that means a 2-child policy so be it. Otherwise what other policy alternatives are available to stem this increase in populations? Adventures what do you think?
@Kweku I used the term “policy” loosely and did not intend to lead the conversation into a political light. The politics of government telling people how many children they can have could have some very disturbing unintended consequences.
I will however add that there is a lot of room for all of us in Ghana is some people have 1 child, others have two, and others have more. It’s a question of the type and quality of life individuals choose to live and how their child-bearing preferences will support those life and career choices. If there ever is a lack of resources in Ghana, it will be as a result of a failure on the part of our national leaders (and not because of we do not have a policy regulating how many children a person can have).
Civic education is critical, and I think people are learning to accept that we live in different times and having many children is neither a proof of your manliness nor an economic asset (for farming).
The stigma of having not more than 2 children has almost disappeared with city dwellers. Thanks to what television and advertisement images ‘promotes’ as the ideal.
On a lighter note, I will lobby for a national love-making educational campaign before I support a policy regulating how many children a person can have. 🙂
@ManInChocolateSkin I agree that we have enough room at the moment for everybody in Ghana. However, I can’t say that will be the case in say 50 or 100 years time. Thats why I feel something drastically needs to done to address this. I concede that a radical policy such a 2-child or 1-child policy can only work in a communist country such as China where personal freedoms are restricted but as country Ghana needs to come up with some policy to stem the population growth. This is not politics its about the future of our country.