It’s always fun to see different perspectives on parenting and families. In this case, BusinessWeek decided to publish an article entitled:

Is Raising Kids a Fool’s Game?

Parenting is fulfilling, but the financial burden can be overwhelming—and then there’s the crimp it puts in your leisure time.

Well fellow parenting fools, is being a parent making your wallet lighter? Are your kids putting a crimp in your leisure time? The truthful answer is most likely yes, to both of these questions - but does it really matter?

We all know having kids is expensive. Most of us don’t work on farm where having more kids may actually help us receive a greater return on our investment in them. More kids = more help on the farm. The expense of having kids, is a bigger financial issue for some rather than others, but the fact is, parents don’t have a choice. They gave that choice up when they committed to having children. So now, it doesn’t really matter if a raising a child is expensive.

How expensive is it?

The Agriculture Dept.’s latest survey found that households in the top-third income bracket (with average pretax income of $118,200) will spend $289,380 by their child’s 18th birthday—or about $17,000 a year (in 2006 dollars).It is a parent’s roll to raise that child.

At Better Parenting University, we have seen extremely wealthy parents, emotionally neglect their children. We have seen parents struggling to go from paycheck to paycheck leading a very rich, and loving family life. In other words, the strength of the family has nothing to do with the strength of the dollar in families who are focused on each other.

If your leisure time has been crimped by your children, then think about your priorities. Time is a limited commodity, but the time invested in your children will reap great rewards. Parents involved in their child’s life, have a greater chance in ensuring their child’s lifelong success.

So, for all parents, and BusinessWeek readers, there is no point in whining. Children are life’s greatest reward. If you have trouble dealing with your child at times or your role as a parent, Better Parenting University is here to help.

In the mean time, get to work loving your kids. That’s what really matters.