This programme describes the ways that various species care for their young. Attenborough defines childhood as achieving two tasks: growing and surviving. He highlights the elephant seal as an animal that experiences a compressed childhood, being abandoned after three weeks and left for up to another eight alone, while it becomes large enough to be able to swim. For terns, there is safety in numbers as the dense population works together to drive out marauding gulls. The snow geese in the Russian arctic show intense devotion as they escort their goslings by foot to the coast some 50 kilometres away. Scorpions carry their young on their backs, while a shrew will leave hers under a stone while she goes to feed. The eider duck is one creature that shares responsibility for its offspring: females regularly supervise the ducklings of others in a group. The mara is another that uses a crèche system, as does the bat, whose nurseries can be up to a million strong. The Florida scrub jay has developed complex parental relationships, using teams rather than pairs. Such behaviour is exhibited on a larger scale by elephants, where all females take an interest in raising a single calf. A chimpanzee’s childhood is socially complicated, as an individual must learn how to behave towards others, as well as master the use of tools. Albatrosses must be accomplished fliers as soon as possible - chicks are shown being hunted by tiger sharks.

بالنسبة لبعض الحيوانات الصغار، رعاية الآباء الدؤوب ينعم الطريق إلى مرحلة البلوغ. بينما يتم التخلي عن الآخرين قبل انتهاء طفولتهم. ولكن ما إذا كان يعتني به أم لا، فإن محن الحياه لا تزال هي نفسها؛ هي البقاء على قيد الحياة خلال هذه الفترة الصعبة

本节目介绍了不同物种照顾幼崽的方式。爱登堡把童年定义为完成两项任务:成长和生存。他强调，海象是一种经历了一个压缩的童年的动物，三周后被抛弃，然后又被单独留在那里长达八周，直到它变得足够大，能够游泳。对燕鸥来说，由于密集的群体共同努力赶走了劫掠的海鸥，所以数量多是安全的。俄罗斯北极地区的雪雁表现出强烈的奉献精神，它们步行护送它们的小鹅到大约50公里外的海岸。蝎子把自己的孩子背在背上，而鼩鼱去觅食时，会把自己的孩子放在石头下。绒鸭是一种对后代共同负责的动物:雌性经常监督一群其他鸭子。马拉是另一种使用crèche系统的动物，蝙蝠也是如此，它们的苗木多达一百万只。佛罗里达灌丛鸦形成了复杂的亲代关系，采用团队而不是成对的方式。这种行为在更大规模的大象中表现出来，所有的雌性大象都对抚养一个小象感兴趣。黑猩猩的童年是一个复杂的社会时期，因为个体必须学会如何对待他人，以及如何使用工具。信天翁必须尽快完成飞行任务——小信天翁被虎鲨猎杀。

David ATTENBOROUGH examine les problèmes de l'éducation des jeunes et constate que les réponses de la nature sont aussi variées que celles des sociétés humaines.

Minden szülő tudja, milyen nehéz egy gyereket felnevelni, és ez az állatoknál is így van. Nincs nagyobb kihívás, mint túlélni a gyermekkor kockázatos éveit és önálló felnőtté válni. Hogyan védhetjük meg kicsinyeinket a mindennapi veszedelmektől? Miként szakítunk időt az utódgondozásra, amikor amúgy is annyi a tennivalónk? Miképpen sajátítja el a fiatal állat azokat a képességeket, amelyekre a felnőtt élet során szüksége lesz? Denevérbölcsőde és elefántóvoda, gondoskodó levélpoloskák - a természet legalább olyan változatos, mint az emberi társadalom.

다른 동물들이 유아기가 채 끝나기도 전에 버려지는 반면, 부모의 정성어린 보살핌을 받고 자란 일부 어린 동물들은 보다 쉽게 성장할 수 있다. 그러나 보살핌을 받고 자랐던 그렇지 않던간에, 이들에게 가장 절대적인 과제는 공통적이다. 바로 험난한 시기를 거쳐 살아남는 것.