ABSTRACT
Although, compared to adults, children tend to become sicker faster, and to recover more quickly, children must also cope with a variety of conditions that are long term. Such conditions may take many forms, from asthma and diabetes, which are relatively mild and can be well controlled by the child and family, to more serious conditions such as cystic fibrosis, leukemia, and a wide range of developmental impairments. These conditions are usually called "chronic," which will be used here to refer to any disease or condition with which a child must cope for more than several months. The adults in the family constellation cannot help but be affected by what has occurred in the child. Their spiritual care, however, will largely be similar to pastoral care of other adults, and hence most pastoral caregivers feel on somewhat familiar ground. Pastoral caregivers have a wealth of spiritual care to contribute to the child or youth, and this is the focus of this chapter.
