Mouths to Feed
Posted by jefferson on Jan 30, 2013 in Parenting | 25 comments
In the past few weeks, I have been writing a lot about the effect that having children has on your decision making process. Michelle and I have two boys, ages 12 and 8, and a sweet little one year old girl. Every day I come home from work and try to give all of them a little bit of my attention. I try to remember to hug them and tell them that I love them every night, and I consider it “mission accomplished” if I somehow find a way to make them laugh at some point in the evening. As I look into their beautiful faces, I know that these tiny humans and our ability to provide a positive future for them, really does mean everything to me.
We try to teach them how to make friends, how to be good people, and how to make the world a better place. We share with them our loves and our passions, our hopes and our dreams, hoping that seeing the fire inside of us, will motivate them to be willing to work for their own goals one day. As we have spent the past year struggling to learn about money and working to get rid of this burden of consumer debt, we have shared this journey with not only you all, but also with our kids. At the same time, we have taken steps to show our children the correct way to relate to money, and to understand the difference between wants and needs, so that they can avoid going down the same rocky paths when they enter adulthood.
While they are small, these little ones are our responsibility, and ours alone. All these mouths to feed are relying on their mommy and daddy’s willingness to work as hard as it takes to provide for them a better life. They are utterly and completely dependent on us, and what we do with that responsibility- will go a long way to determining what awaits these sweet children in the future. This responsibility influences every decision that I make, financial and otherwise: from deciding whether or not move to another city (unlikely) to considering whether or not I should ever make the jump to entrepreneurship (probably not).
Our children are also key in the decision making process when purchasing insurance. Life insurance is an absolute must if you have children, and you should at minimum have a term life policy that is enough to pay off your mortgage and send your kids to college. If you are a parent and don’t have life insurance, I would strongly recommend that you go to lifeinsurance.org.uk today to see what your options are. The cost is much less than you probably think. Kids also effect your choices for other types of insurance as well. They were a strong motivator when I decided to open a healthcare FSA this year and to get an income protection insurance policy.
My children are by far my greatest accomplishment in my life. Becoming a parent takes everything in life, and wraps it up in a neat little package of purpose and meaning. That in and of itself, changes everything. I love being a dad, and my kids will continue to shape every choice that I make, day after day.
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Your love for your children is very endearing to read in this post and I appreciate you sharing it with all of us. You made a great choice in opting to purchase a life insurance policy as well as opening a health care FSA. I agree that as a parent it is important to have life insurance. I know it is a situation that nobody wants to think about, but it has provided me peace of mind growing up knowing that if anything were to happen to my parents, I would be okay.
I can’t imagine having 3 kids. It’s a ton of work and I don’t know where you find the time to write! I’m looking for a term life insurance this year. I lost my coverage after I quit my job in 2012.
I am working very hard to get more life insurance since my son was born. Since I have a medical condition, it gets difficult and expensive. My options are much smaller now than if I were without any issues.
Love this post, Jefferson! We feel the exact same way about our 4 kids. It really does change your life. Thanks for the wonderful reminder about what a blessing it is to have these guys to work our lives around.
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I agree 3 kids is a lot, especially with the age gap! It sounds like a very rewarding experience and hope to have some of my own in the future (and that picture is adorable!).
Life insurance is a must have if anyone depends on your income. I often hear from friends who have become parents that your desire to provide a better life for them also helps you strive professionally.
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I can’t imagine having 3 kids. Being a singleton, I even sometimes find it hard to find time. But kudos to people like you guys. Gotta ask though, was the 3rd one planned? Such an age difference.
We’ve been together seven years (24 years old) and I don’t feel anywhere near ready for kids! It’s such a huge responsibility.
We don’t have kids yet, but when we do I’m sure that we’ll buy a bigger/better life insurance policy. You can’t be too careful or too prepared when you have little ones to look after.
Great post! I love my little mouths to feed too =)
Oh man we really need to get real about our life insurance…we have some coverage through our jobs but probably not enough especially with baby now and a (hopefully) growing family.
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Its crazy how much everything in your entire life changes when you have kids. Each and every decision you make from then on our effects others in a huge way. I look forward to it one day but know that before then I need to seriously work on my finances and become comfortable and out of debt if I wish to give them everything they need and deserve. Things like that are true wealth in life, not money.
I don’t have any life insurance now, but will definitely look for some when we have kids in a few years. Reading your post reminds me of why I want to have kids.
I don’t have any children myself, but I have a lot of siblings and young nieces and nephews. But even as a sister, it’s amazing the kind of feelings I experience, especially watching your little brother enter into puberty and turn into a man right in front your face. Time flies by so quickly; you definitely need to treasure the moments.
We don’t have any kids but we do have life insurance because you never know when something can happen.
Good post Jefferson! Just another reminder to me that I need to buy more coverage. The little ones are so worth it.
Awh, this was a cute article. I feel like to truly understand how parents feel about their children, you have to experience it yourself. I currently do not understand and I don’t plan on understanding anytime soon, but I hope you can provide the best life possible to your kids.
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Very inspiring post! It is very evident that you love your kids so much and you want to prepare for their future. Becoming a parent changes our goals and perspectives in life.
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I don’t have kids yet, but I can imagine that when I do I’ll feel the need to have a LOT of insurance. You’re right, they are absolutely dependent on you.
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Excellent post, Jefferson. I hope it’s one you save to read to children over and over, so they can see how much you love them. You’re a great dad. Everything we do is for our kids, and we hope we’re giving them the lessons to succeed in life. Insurance is often overlooked, but to me, it’s a must-have. My husband I work hard to create a great life for our family – one we protect through life insurance.
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I think it’s so great that you’ve taken your responsibility as a parent so seriously. Many, many, people don’t. When I have children, I’ll definitely be getting life insurance, but probably not before, after no, no one is dependant on me yet.
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It’s funny to be reading this tonight because my wife and I face all the same predicaments. Two beautiful boys (another little girl would be amazing!) that rely completely on us. I feel a certain amount of stress in every decision I make because it doesn’t just affect me, it affects them. I suppose you can only make a decision based on the information you have in front of you at the time but the decision is never easy anymore. Amazing post Jefferson, it’s great to feel this sort of enthusiasm for family life.
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Well put. Our kids really do change every part of our lives; especially the decisions we make.
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So important! We have a 12 yr old, 9 yr old, 2 yr old, and a 9 month old)
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I have two, and I know the feeling of how they impact all major decisions. And, how as a Dad they mean just about everything it seems. Taking care of them is such a supreme motivator, which I balance with my own needs for retirement. But again, as a parent, it’s not always all about us as I can see you approach it too.
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