In a recent research project undertaken for the Proceedings of the Natural Institute of Science, one PhD candidate surveyed how much it would cost to raise a child like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes. They focused on the property damage caused by Calvin in the classic comic strip. Calvin as we all know "has an extraordinarily active imagination, which gives life to Hobbes, and is the impetus for Calvin to destroy everything from dishes and lamps to binoculars and garage doors."

The results from the 10-year run of the comic? "In total, Calvin caused an estimated $15,955.50 worth of damage over the duration of the comic strip." But what was interesting is that Calvin's destructive behavior lessened over time—over half of the damage was done in the first year of the comic strip's run.

The results of the research say something for real-life parents, too: "If your little bundle of joy grows up to be a Tasmanian devil of terror, you can expect to pay almost two grand extra per year just in replacing or repairing items. … In parenting, you have to take the bad with the good. With a kid like Calvin, it's probably mostly bad. But even raising a Calvin has its good moments, which are well worth the extra $1,850 a year.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Yes, raising kids can be costly. But the investment pays off.