Although much has been written about the need for psychosocial care for chronically ill children and families, major gaps in such services continue to exist Studies indicate that parents fail to express their concerns to child health care professionals, thus contributing to limitations in care This paper, based on an exploratory study, suggests that parents do express needs and concerns to their child's pediatrician, however, they do so in veiled ways, often asking to be reassured by the pediatrician at the same time In order to understand underlying issues, chnicians must often resist the urge to reassure.