“child” was a term denoting affection; “my little boy” would be another way of translating it

The father’s concern is totally for his child; he does not argue or try to defend himself against the strong words of Jesus; he just respectfully repeats his request for Jesus to heal his son. His faith is not perfect, but he does have faith. What he knows, he knows. He knows he has a need and he knows that Jesus can meet that need. He asked Jesus for help and Jesus delayed him by His response, so the father respectfully and persistently asks again.

When you go to Christ with your needs and there is a delay, what do you do? What you should do is to ask again, just like this man. See also the words of Jesus in Luke 18:1.

Luke 18:1  Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Note again that the father’s faith was such that he thought Jesus could only heal if He were present with the child and only if the child were still living. His knowledge of Christ was very limited and thus his request was, too.

How do you limit God in answering your requests?  Do you tell Him how to answer you? Do you hear Him when He tells you something different from what you asked?