Me an Elitist???

I just found this in my draft file...opps never got published:

Who would have thought that just plain old me…trying to do the will of God would be considered and elitist or status conscious?
After reading an article by Pamela Paul entitled Three Kids? You Showoffs. As I sweat away on my treadmill trying to keep my mind of the fact that I was actually exercising, I enjoyed a good laugh reading this.
First of all she said that the estimated costs of an average child in America are $204,060!!! That is to house, clothe, educate, and entertain until they are 18!!! I have never been good with numbers as my dh will tell you and I also deal with an exaggeration problem…but, I can tell you that we haven’t even come close to spending $204,060 on my wonderful 18 year old daughter!!! I would guess around $11,500 in 18 years...due to hand me down clothes, toys, furniture, and lots and lots of used books!!! Not to mention a scholarship of full tuition the past two years at the community college. The breaking point was the braces!!! Even thou her dear father said he loved her just the way she was and if the man she married didn’t like her teeth , than he could pay for them!!! Or the kinder comment he made was to just marry someone with good dental insurance. I am sure if any of you know my dh, or visited his scandalist blog, you could hear him say that!!!
As to housing…that is kind of funny…what exactly to they mean when they have a housing allowance? Man, I wish I was in on this early on…I would of charged my kids for using the facilities…my two year old for going to the bathroom all over the house, and the cost of cleaning and washing her clothes, as well as maintaining the floors, walls!!! Could I also charge a quarter for all my little darlings every time they opened the refrigerator? I could possibly pay for my 18 year old's braces with that alone!!! How about leaving the door open when the heat’s on…were you born in a barn??? I could go on and on with this fee, wow, I wish I would of thought about this 18 years ago and I would definitely be ahead of the game!!!
To clothe…HA!!! Obviously these people have no family and friends to share their goodies with. Not to mention a good consignment shop or a local freecycle group like I have where I have even been given clothes with the tags still on!!!
Education is a tricky one…in our home we home school. Although many think it is free like public school, it can become expensive if you want to go that route. We have managed to keep expenses down quite a bit, but that is another blog. My heart goes out to those trying to pay for private or Catholic schools. It is a huge struggle for any family, as well as a one income with multiple kids to deal with.
The last and one I find most hilarious is to entertain!!! I wish this was more specifically broken down because the idea of having an entertainment account makes me laugh. I have said on more than one occasion that my children will make great spouses due to the fact that they will appreciate their honeymoon. (my niece has been to Hawaii, Disney world on numerous occasions, airplanes, and some kind of kid club med???) Or if they choose the religious life they will know the spirit of sacrifice. We have never had lots of extra funds, and I appreciate the fact that to struggle with the question of “can we do a lot of activities” hasn’t been too difficult of a decision. As well as having a nursing baby and toddler which puts a little damper on many entertainment activities, it makes choosing places to go a no brainer. Not that our kids are bored to death, but we haven’t seen the need to put them in an abundance of activities, especially as youngsters. I am blessed that I waited to have my oldest (the trend starter) wait to start participating in extra curricular activities. Mainly due to finances, but also because I was usually pregnant with a toddler...

It is sad that the world has come to this...hopefully if enough of us start showing how great and easy it is to raise a family, than it will catch on!!!