Helping you take care of a pet can help a child learn to nurture, connect with other people and become a caring person.  Children need to learn to care for others and establish secure relationships and attachments early in their development. Today’s latchkey kids, mixed families, “alternating households” and play things (when’s the last time you saw a child playing with a baby doll?) don’t foster nurturing but connecting with animals does. Even if your child can’t have a pet for whatever reason, they can learn about pets and visit your friend’s pets and help them care for their pet.