Just about every time you turn around, there is another cost that is steadily rising. In this day and age having a child is no exception from this. While we are flooded with talks about a recession, there are some people who choose to do what others find outrageous during this time…have another baby.

I found a very interesting article in the Washington Post that talks about how the number of children you have is now the new sign of good fortune. Apparently having more than two children in the city is now looked upon as a way to display your wealth status.  The Department of Agriculture estimated that the average cost of raising an American child to be $204,060. This includes housing, clothing, education and entertainment until the age of 18. Although I'm sure most people have discovered that 18 is usually not the cut off point.

Personally I don't feel like I look at people with three plus children as rich, or elite. I find myself thinking "Thank God I'm not in their shoes." Not because of the financial responsibility but because taking care of three children is a big responsibility in my eyes. Beyond the money, there's the time, the emotional nurturing etc. etc. that a parent should be investing into their child. For me, the amount of kids you have doesn't show wealth, because where I grew up, three or more kids wasn't uncommon and it certainly didn't mean you had a lot of money when the neighborhood clearly displayed otherwise.


A woman by the name of Elana Sigall said that when she was pregnant with her third child, people would come up to her often and say to her: "You've got a boy and a girl already. Why don't you just leave it alone?" There was a radio conversation that I was listening to in which one of the callers said people called him and his wife a "breeder" because they had more than three children. So actually there is kind of a two-fold outlook on this. One is, by having so many kids (in the city) you are flaunting the fact that you have a lot of money and are only having kids to show off your status (which is what I thought high priced cars were for) or you're just a baby making "breeder".   

While I don't agree with either perspective, I won't deny the fact that this is how some people might view those who do choose to go the unconventional route while the cost of living steadily increases. However you can't just look at the family and make assumptions on their reason for having so many children. In the case of the radio caller, his reason was because he was adopted and was the last surviving member of his adopted family. Because he didn't know his biological family he basically had no family. His desire to have lots of kids was a result of building a family that he didn't have. When you hear a story like that, there's just no way you can say this man is a showoff.

Many people have many different reasons for why they choose to have children. For some it is just not financially feasible for them to have more than one. When you take into consideration daycare, private schools, nannies and other cost, you might find yourself paying a pretty penny. It seems like the less ability you have to take care of your own kid the more money you need to shell out for someone else to do it.

A word of advice, if you want to display your wealth, I suggest using the traditional methods of cars and houses. With either of these at least you can flaunt and be flashy without an inescapable commitment of 18 years.

Aaron Fields writes for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are his.