July 7th, 1978: Origin of Neurosis

Petey really worries me lately.  He keeps saying "I don't like myself".  When I ask him why, sometimes he jokes about, says "myself hits me", and hits himself.  Sometimes he just says "I don't know".

I ask him WHAT about himself he doesn't like, and he just says "I don't know", but it calls for constant reassurance: that he's a good little boy, that I like him, that other people like him, because his second standard refrain is "nobody likes me, do they?" (considering that <the neighbor kids> spend every minute here that Pete's allowed outside, I'd say a lot of people like him).

Sometimes he lines up all his toys and addresses them one by one, "Teddybear, I don't like you. Rabbit Rabbit, I don't like you, Raggedy Ann, I don't like you.  Raggedy Andy, I don't like you....", and I have to pick up each one and cuddle it as it cries because Petey doesn't like it. 

Sometimes, of course, it's "Mommy, I don't like you", but always alternated by "you're so lovable, do you know that?"

I've told him sometimes, "I always love you, but when you're naughty, I don't like you very much", but the times he says "I don't like myself" aren't always, or even often, when he's naughty.  I hope he'll outgrow it...like his fear of bathtubs and thunder
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Thunder, yes, bathtubs, on the other hand....