You can recognize, and help him recognize, that problems are relative. A child who lives on hormone shots that make him behave strangely is better off than a dying child. It is easier for your child to live with problems if he accepts them as a normal part of normal life. In fact, problem-solving adds zest to life. Of course, it helps your child to know that you want to help with his problems. You should let your child know that you care about him, that you will be there to help him when he needs you. Make him understand that his feelings concern you, that you enjoy him as he is, together with his problems. In short, that you love him as he is. Believe me, when your child sees you expressing love like this, he will learn from you to love. After all, didn’t you learn to live with some of your problems? And, in spite of them, don’t you give and receive love? To look at it another way, who wants to know the perfect human being? Or, worse yet, to be the perfect human being? It would be a terrible responsibility, and it would be absolutely impossible to find anyone who could love you.
