It concerns me that too many decisions about children are being made about children as if we live in country where children aren't going hungry, witho
It concerns me that too many decisions about children are being made about children as if we live in country where children aren’t going hungry, without coats until three paychecks into the winter, without shoes that fit properly until you get the next check and without braces until adulthood.
Heck, we live in a country where people don’t believe children should eat lunch if their parents can’t afford it and the lunch isn’t even healthy.
And all of this does not even include out of pocket costs for special needs like medications, comfort items, special foods, etc…
There is too much pushing parents to afford things without inquiring whether they can afford to feed the children, pay the rent/mortgage, buy clothes, keep the family transportation running, maintain health and dental insurance…… and still invite the opinions of outsiders in to make lifelong decisions that impact the entire family.
Raising children is not free.
We believe children deserve stability, safety, dignity, and opportunity—not just in words, but in real life.
Parenting is not symbolic labor. Thoughts. Ideas.
It is financial, physical, emotional, and lifelong responsibility.
Too often, parents—especially mothers and primary caregivers—are surrounded by people who want a voice in decisions, credit in public, and proximity to the child, but not responsibility for the actual costs of raising them.
Real support is measurable. Even co-parents and family share costs.
It shows up as:
- Healthcare coverage
- Copays and prescriptions
- Therapy and disability services
- Food and safe housing
- Childcare
- School supplies and activity fees
- Transportation
- Emergency savings
- College and future planning
- Lost wages from missed work
- Jobs put at risk because children get sick, schools close, or emergencies happen
- Career opportunities delayed or declined to meet a child’s needs
Encouragement matters.
Community matters.
Love matters.
But none of them replace material responsibility.
We affirm:
If someone claims the role of co-parent or family caregiver, they must share the weight.
If someone claims the right to influence, they must help sustain.
If someone claims commitment, it must extend beyond words.
Parents should not have to carry the full economic burden while others carry only opinions.
Children thrive when responsibility is honest, shared, and consistent.
We advocate for:
- Financial accountability as a core part of caregiving
- Recognition of lost income and career impact as real parenting costs
- Respect for the labor of primary parents
- Policies that protect children’s material well-being
- Communities that move beyond symbolic support to practical action
The best interests of the child are also served when responsibility is:
- Clearly defined
- Financially accountable
- Consistently shared
- And aligned with the actual costs incurred by the primary caregiver
Supporting children means supporting the people who feed them, house them, heal them, and plan their futures.
Anything less is not co-parenting.
It is commentary.
And our children deserve more than that.
7 Affirmations for Parents
I carry real weight, and I honor myself for it.
What I do is labor. What I give is measurable. What I hold together matters.Providing is a form of love.
Paying the bills, missing work, standing in lines, and staying up late is devotion in action.I am not dramatic for naming the cost.
I am honest. I am responsible. I am clear-eyed about what my child needs.I deserve support that shows up in real ways.
Not just words. Not just praise. Not just opinions.I am allowed to expect fairness.
Shared responsibility is not too much to ask. It is basic justice.My exhaustion is evidence of effort, not weakness.
I am tired because I am doing something meaningful and demanding.I am building a life for my child with courage and precision.
Even when no one sees every sacrifice, I do. And it counts.