People ask if I'm sad my son started kindergarten. After $87,000 in day care bills, I'm celebrating.

Mesha Griffith is excited for her son to start kindergarten so she won't have to pay astronomical prices for pre-K. Courtesy of Mesha Griffith Mesha Griffith is a children's book author and full-time working mom of one son in Columbus, Ohio. She spent over $87,000 on childcare costs over five years. Not needing to pay $1,500 each month, she and her husband plan to "bump up" their savings. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mesha Griffith . It has been edited for length and clarity. In the middle of August, I dropped my 5-year-old son, Ellington, off for his first day of kindergarten . Since then, people have been asking whether I feel sad about it, about my little boy growing up and leaving day care behind . In response, I usually look at them and nearly laugh.