While pets aren’t for everyone, especially if you’re allergic, or are never home, pets can be a source of great lessons for our kids. If you’re the owner of a dog you can teach unconditional love. Most dogs are like that. If you have cats, you can teach them about selfishness and their desire for you to love them. Now, these are jokes of course. Seriously, though, pets can teach responsibility. They need to be fed, bathed (in some cases), groomed, cleaned up after, and they need training and discipline. Everything WE need, right? Assign jobs for the kids. Then, rotate them. And, pets don’t last forever. So, death can be a teaching tool, too. Ultimately we can point them to God, our providers of all things, including our salvation.

Suggested Reading: Philippians 4:4-6, James 1:17