"People are willing to spend more money on their children for back-to-school than they are even at Christmas."

I'd rather spend the money on my children: not just because I love them, but because it saves me looking in the mirror.

But most families are working harder for less, so they have less time and less money to spend on their children.

Families, he said, are spending considerably more on their college-age children than they did a decade ago.

They say the women spend too much time on the game and not enough on their children.

To control costs, superintendents must have a base other than parent groups that want unlimited amounts of money spent on their children.

The theory behind expanding the earned income tax credit is that if poor parents have more money they will spend it on their children.

He wants the court to allow him to retain some of the money to spend on his children as he sees fit.

"If women are prepared to spend that much money on themselves, they'll spend it on their children, too," she says.

But modern parents don't really expect much of a return from the resources they spend on their children.