Your most valuable investment is not your house or your car!Your teen is most valuable because you love them but think about all the money you’ve poured into them so far too. Food and clothing are just the tip of the iceberg. Experts say it costs more than $235,000 (plus college) to raise a baby to adulthood. I know. I’m a parent too. Of course I don’t think of the dollars and cents on a daily basis, but my daughter, Emily, has cost us a lot of dough.
For example, Emily loves her music. She’ll never be a concert pianist because she hates practicing, but her dad and I have paid for 9 years of piano lessons at a cost of about $50 per hour. Not to mention the piano in our living room. There was also soccer, skiing, golf, a math tutor – the list goes on. Every family’s list is different but we all do it for the same reasons. We want our kids to be the best they can be and enjoy life to the fullest.
Why then – do we draw the line at driving lessons? That’s where we decide to skimp? After paying tens of thousands of dollars for everything else, we want to cut back in the one area where a mistake can actually cost their life or someone else’s? It doesn’t make sense.
