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If I had a dollar for every sock I’ve lost, meal I’ve reheated, or snack I’ve shared without getting a single bite… I could probably afford college.
For all three kids. Motherhood? It’s the most rewarding, and the most draining, investment you’ll ever make.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
💸 1. The Financial Fallout
Before kids: “Oh, look! A cute purse I don’t need but totally want!”
After kids: “Do I buy this purse… or a 92-pack of Pull-Ups and a week’s worth of dinosaur nuggets?”
According to actual smart money people (and also my own Amazon order history), the cost of raising a child to age 18 is something like $300,000.
That’s a HOUSE.
Or a lifetime supply of concealer for the under-eye bags motherhood blesses you with.
Between daycare that costs more than my college tuition, school fundraisers that pop up faster than pimples before prom, and random expenses like “$12 for a stick your kid found in the gift shop,” it adds up real quick.
🧠 2. The Mental Load (AKA the Cost of Remembering Everything)
Let’s talk about the invisible cost no one warned us about: being the human hard drive for your entire family.
I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast, but I know that my 8-year-old has gym on Tuesdays, my 5-year-old needs to bring a stuffed animal for show-and-tell on Thursdays, and my 3-year-old insists on wearing mismatched socks every single day or it’s a full-blown meltdown.
We carry the meal planning, the appointment scheduling, the birthday party RSVPs, and the “Don’t forget it’s pajama day at school!” brain tabs.
All. The. Time.
It’s no wonder I forget what I walked into a room for. (Was it laundry? Snacks? A moment of peace? Honestly, all of the above.)
🧃 3. The Emotional Toll (Where Do the Juice Boxes End and I Begin?)
Motherhood is beautiful, yes. But it’s also a lot.
Some days you’re a superhero.
Other days, you’re crying in the pantry because someone yelled “MOM!” 47 times before 9 a.m.
We give and give and give until we’re just a shell of a woman holding a half-eaten granola bar someone handed us like a gift.
We juggle big emotions (theirs and ours), navigate guilt trips (both self-imposed and expertly crafted by toddlers), and somehow still find the strength to sing bedtime songs we don’t even like.
Love is a huge part of it, sure.
But so is the cost of constantly being someone else’s safe place even when you feel like you’re falling apart a little bit yourself.
💖 4. But Here’s What You Get in Return…
You get chubby arms wrapped around your neck with sticky hands that say “I love you” better than words ever could.
You get to be the reason someone feels safe, heard, and endlessly loved.
You get bedtime giggles and proud “I did it, Mom!” moments and the magic of watching tiny humans grow into real people.
It doesn’t pay the bills, but it sure fills the soul.
Final Thoughts (Because I Hear a Crash Upstairs…)
Motherhood will cost you more than you ever thought you could give your time, your body, your quiet mornings, your favorite white shirt that’s now a canvas of spaghetti handprints.
But the return on investment? Oh, mama. It’s immeasurable.
So the next time you’re calculating your monthly budget and wondering how you’re going to cover groceries, field trip fees, and that one brand of applesauce your kid now “can’t live without,” just remember: you’re already giving them the most valuable thing in the world… you.
Hang in there, mama.
You’re doing the most important (and expensive) job on the planet—and somehow still managing to make it look good in yoga pants and dry shampoo.
Now go reward yourself with that overpriced latte. You’ve earned it. 💕
