Stuff for pondering later -
Mar. 17th, 2006 09:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kyburgWhenever you hear stories about women having children later in life -- think TV anchor Joan Lunden's twins or the 66-year-old Romanian woman who conceived a couple of years ago -- the focus is usually on health risks or ethical concerns.
But what about money?
For those of us (ahem) contemplating parenthood at the not-so-tender age of 40, the financial risks can be equally high. Yet you're more likely to be warned about the potential for diabetes or Down syndrome than what will happen to your retirement plans.
I'm looking at the "hidden" costs they refer to - and since we're adopting, some of them just don't apply (the lactation consultants, etc.) - but it jumps out at me that the expectation is that I'm going to spend hundreds on private lessons of all kinds.
Uh, no. That wasn't spent on me, and I'm who I am for it - resourceful. And I learned what I know at the knees of the adults around me.
That's what I what to hand down to a child. Not the money money money things.
Music lessons, I can see. But even they were rationed pretty carefully.
This is food for more thought - but not right now. Rome is burning.
But what about money?
For those of us (ahem) contemplating parenthood at the not-so-tender age of 40, the financial risks can be equally high. Yet you're more likely to be warned about the potential for diabetes or Down syndrome than what will happen to your retirement plans.
I'm looking at the "hidden" costs they refer to - and since we're adopting, some of them just don't apply (the lactation consultants, etc.) - but it jumps out at me that the expectation is that I'm going to spend hundreds on private lessons of all kinds.
Uh, no. That wasn't spent on me, and I'm who I am for it - resourceful. And I learned what I know at the knees of the adults around me.
That's what I what to hand down to a child. Not the money money money things.
Music lessons, I can see. But even they were rationed pretty carefully.
This is food for more thought - but not right now. Rome is burning.
