Home › Forums › Once Upon a Time › Character discussion › Henry’s maturity › Re: Henry’s maturity
Henry’s actually not too far off from where a normal kid his age is at. He just lives under supernatural circumstances. I work with preschoolers to Elementary school kids and some kids are very precocious. The key with kids in primary school is you can’t talk down to them. I have eight year olds that can follow complicated topics better than adults, but then in some ways they’re totally ignorant. Kids in the tween phase have just enough knowledge to make them dangerous but not enough maturity yet to understand some of their actions.
Henry’s at that age where if you try to talk to him as a child he will rebel. We’ve seen that again and again. Most kids need reasons to understand, even for simple things. As an adult, it’s hard not to say back, “I’m the adult and I know what’s best so listen to what I say.” You don’t have to reveal everything, but explain your reasoning in terms understandable to the child’s age and maturity level.
As for Henry reacting to Snow going into labor, how old is he in the story? He’s what now, eleven? So, and I’m probably thinking too much about it, adding nine months for gestation he’d be around twelve in your story when the baby is born. That’s old enough to know about babies and I would write it as him doing what Snow says without a problem. He’d know to call 911 and follow the instructions and give directions and so on if the story takes place in Storybrooke. He’d be frazzled and worked up but he’d be okay. I don’t think I’d have him actually delivering the baby, although I have seen stories of it on tv, but getting people to her I think he’d be fine.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.