by Honi A.

Created on: January 10, 2010   Last Updated: January 12, 2010

Being a parent of a child with any kind of illness, be it a simple cold or a terminal disease, doesn't change the way you feel for him: you love him. Being a parent for a child with HIV is no different than being a parent for any other child: you wish what's best for your child and the hope for the future is still present in your heart.

BE HONEST WITH YOUR CHILD

One of the hardest things a parent has to do is tell their child he is HIV positive and explain to him what this means. Most of the parents tend to postpone this moment but recent studies show that the earlier the child learns about his disease the better. That prevents any nasty situations, like other children avoiding him and him not understanding why. Also, another important aspect is to don't underestimate the disease in front of him, telling him things like "oh, it's not so bad, we'll get over it", but neither start crying and lamenting in front of him, because you will scare him unnecessarily. Be honest with your child and assure him that he will have all your support and love. Children are very understanding, so even this might seem like a hard task for a parent, honesty is the only way to go.

MAKE THE TREATMENT FUN
What child likes pills, doctors or treatments? None. So this is a problem each parent has to deal with. So, make the treatment fun, set a system of rewards or prizes and the child will show more patience. There are a lot of ways to turn taking the daily pill in a fun event, instead of chasing your child through the house and forcing him to do something he doesn't want. For example: you can tell him, that foe every pill he takes willingly, he will receive a star, and at the end of the week you count the starts together and depending on the number of stars he will receive something: or a toy or something sweet or an extra hour of cartoons.

DON'T SEPARATE HIM FROM THE COMMUNITY
Teach your child that every person is different and each and anyone of has is special in it's own way. Don't let him feel that he doesn't belong in a place and integrate him into society. HIV doesn't transmit through simple touch so it's safe to take him to play with other children. Don't keep him separated indoors because he will develop a complex of inferiority. Of course, some supervision is required, but as long as you are watching him from near and he plays nice there is no danger, either for him or for the other children.

TAKE HIM TO MEET OTHER HIV POSITIVE CHILDREN
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