Y’all Rich? It Costs $233,610 To Raise A Kid And Other Parenting News This Week
In this week’s parenting news roundup, we look at a controversial Washington Post essay about treating phobias in an autistic child, pregnant women who smoke, the Georgia teacher who shot a gun in school and why it costs $233,610 to raise a kid.
It Costs $233,610 To Raise A Kid; How Are You Affording It?
We can safely assume the Obamas can afford two kids, but can you?
Every year the US Department of Agriculture puts out a study looking at the costs of raising a child from birth to 17. This year’s costs put the total price at $233,610 over the course of childhood; it does not include college.
For a middle-class family with two children, that’s roughly between $12,350 and $14,000 a year, on average, to raise each child. How do these numbers square up with your budget? For some parents who pay for daycare, preschool or elementary school, that budget is eaten up by school tuition and fees alone.
In fact, Time magazine found this:
Nationally, the average cost for a week at a child care center, for one child, totaled $196. An after-school sitter set the average family back $214 for 15 hours of work a week. And hiring a nanny topped $556 a week.
Despite these costs, parents seem to make do. People are still having babies, so apparently, this cost is one that we all are willing to bear.
That said, head to our Facebook Group to tell us all about your cost-saving tips for raising a family.
Does Forcing An Autistic Child To Watch Elmo Live Help Cure Phobias? Would You Do It?
At least one parent thinks that forcing her son inside of a stadium to watch a live show is an effective way to help him get over his fear of being inside. The essay, which is a personal opinion piece that ran in February in the Washington Post, garnered a number of criticisms from parents of autistic children.
This is, in part, what the writer said:
“What I did to help my 5-year-old autistic son overcome his intense fear of indoor spaces might not have been right or even safe. Doctors didn’t recommend it. The people who witnessed it were appalled, understandably. I don’t suggest this for others.
I could have been more patient with conventional methods, but I wasn’t. I am not certified in restraining children, though doctors say anyone attempting what I did should be. They would also recommend a much slower approach.
I am writing this because I hope to educate people about the burden families face when their autistic children have tantrums in public spaces, so next time you witness such a struggle you don’t immediately resort to blaming the parents. I’m also reaching out to fellow parents in pain to remind them to cast off shame, because I believe nothing is more important than getting your autistic children out into the world.”
Social media exploded with criticism for the writer, who also penned a book on raising an autistic child. Here’s one tweet:
This is horrible. And written by another parent of an autistic child who wrote a book about how much she hates her son.
The Washington Post: Bystanders were horrified. But my son has autism, and I was desperate. https://t.co/7v3ksQNSsw
— Kristin Rawls (@kristinrawls) February 28, 2018
Autistic kids often unfairly get a bad rap. Did this mom’s actions help or harm? Let SassyPlum know.
Puff Puff, Inhale: Despite Warnings, 1 in 14 Pregnant Women Still Light Up
Moms are still smoking while pregnant, says a newly released report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC.) And while we all know – and are taught – that smoking while pregnant is a bad thing for baby, it turns out that a number of women do it anyway; nearly one in 14 or around 7.2%, in fact.
The findings, as expected, varied from state to state, but pregnant people aged 20 to 24 were most likely to light up. The next most likely to smoke group was girls aged 15 to 19 and then women between 25 and 29. The information comes from a study conducted in 2016 with the results released in spring of 2018.
More deets: Expectant moms with a master’s degree or higher were less likely to smoke cigs and the majority of pregnant smokers (12.2 percent) had only attained a high school education.
What could happen to a fetus if mom smokes? It puts baby at risk for certain birth defects, or (among other things) it can cause a baby to be born too early or to have low birth weight.
Missed us last week or the week before? Check here for more parenting news.
* Thanks for reading This Week in Parenting News. Just so you know, the writer who pulls this together is a trained, old-school journalist who vets every story to be sure that it is true and not fake news. All facts are corroborated by several sources and linked so you can do your own research.
Short Takes
- SCHOOL SHOOTINGS STILL ON THE RADAR: The Florida school shooter’s sibling regrets bullying his brother. So far this year there have been a reported 20 school shootings in 2018. Also, an armed teacher in Georgia locked himself in his class and fired off a shot. No kids were hurt. And, A teen was arrested for killing his parents at a Central Michigan State university dorm.
