Jas lost her parents. She lives with her godfather who’s an alcoholic and her aunt who’s emotionally unavailable.
She’s scared. She’s lonely. She’s trying to make sense of adult problems with a child’s understanding.
And the game treats her as a person, not a prop.
This is rare. Most media treats children as:
- Plot devices (orphan motivates hero)
- Comic relief (precocious kid says funny things)
- Sentimentality engines (tugs heartstrings through cuteness)
- Simplified adults (just smaller, less complex)
But real children are:
- Complex emotional beings
- Processing adult problems with limited tools
- Vulnerable without being helpless
- Capable of insight adults miss
Let’s explore how to write children as real people.
The Problem with Cute
The Sentimentality Trap
How media often depicts children:
- Unnaturally wise (“Out of the mouths of babes!”)
- Relentlessly cute (big eyes, high voices, diminutive everything)
- Plot devices (exist to die, be rescued, motivate adults)
- Two-dimensional (the “innocent child” archetype)
Why this fails:
- Real children aren’t like this
- It’s condescending
- Creates distance (you’re observing a type, not meeting a person)
- Misses the actual complexity of childhood
The alternative: Write them as people who happen to be young.
Jas and Vincent: Case Studies
Jas: Processing Trauma
Background:
- Parents died (unstated how/when)
- Lives with Shane (godfather, alcoholic) and Marnie (aunt, emotionally distant)
- Best friend with Vincent
- Penny teaches her
How the game handles her:
Not: Constantly crying, obviously traumatized, broken Instead: Quiet, a bit shy, loves her toy cow, scared of some things, hopeful about others
Dialogue examples:
“Do you think my parents are in heaven?”
- Child processing death
- Seeking comfort
- Not theatrical grief—quiet wondering
“I don’t like when Shane smells funny.”
- Child’s way of understanding alcoholism
- Protective euphemism (“smells funny” not “is drunk”)
- Real observation without adult vocabulary
What this shows:
- Children process trauma differently than adults
- They use simple language for complex feelings
- They’re observant but don’t always understand what they’re seeing
Vincent: Childhood Anxiety
Background:
- Father at war, returns with PTSD
- Younger brother energy
- Wants to be brave but is scared of things
How the game handles him:
“I’m scared of the dark… but don’t tell anyone!”
- Real childhood fear
- Social awareness (doesn’t want to seem babyish)
- Vulnerability with qualifier
“When I grow up, I want to be just like Sam!” (his older brother)
- Hero worship of sibling
- Future-oriented thinking
- Age-appropriate aspiration
What this shows:
- Children have genuine fears
- They’re aware of social perception
- They’re trying to be “big”
The Technique: Real Fears, Real Emotions, Simplified Language
Three-Part Framework:
1. Emotions are real (not simplified)
- Children feel deeply
- Fear, grief, joy, confusion—all genuine
- Intensity matches adults
2. Understanding is limited
- They don’t have frameworks to process complex situations
- They fill gaps with imagination or misunderstanding
- They ask questions adults find painful
3. Language is simplified
- Shorter sentences
- Concrete rather than abstract
- Metaphorical thinking (not analytical)
Example:
Adult processing grief: “I’m struggling with the existential weight of my father’s death and the meaninglessness it reveals.”
Child processing grief (Jas): “Do you think my parents are in heaven? …I hope they are. I miss them.”
Same emotional weight. Different articulation.
Avoiding Cutesy Condescension
The Difference:
Condescending (bad):
- “Wook at the widdle baby!”
- Over-emphasis on cute speech impediments
- Child exists to be adorable
- Adult talks down to them
Respectful (good):
- Age-appropriate language
- Real concerns and questions
- Child treated as valid person
- Adult speaks to them, not at them
Stardew’s approach:
Penny teaching: Treats Jas and Vincent as students, not babies. Uses simple language but doesn’t condescend.
Player interaction: Dialogue options don’t patronize. You can give them gifts, talk to them, respect their interests.
Result: They’re characters, not mascots.
Children Processing Adult Problems
The Reality:
Children live in the same world as adults. They witness:
- Addiction (Shane)
- Poverty (Penny’s trailer)
- Mental health struggles (various townspeople)
- War/PTSD (Kent)
- Death (Jas’s parents)
They don’t understand these fully. But they experience the effects.
The Technique: Child’s-Eye View
Show adult problems through child’s limited understanding:
Jas and Shane’s drinking:
- She knows he “smells funny”
- She knows he’s sad
- She doesn’t understand alcoholism as disease
- She just knows her godfather is hurting
This creates:
- Authentic child perspective
- Emotional honesty (fear, confusion)
- Avoids exposition (child wouldn’t analyze it)
Vincent and Kent’s PTSD:
- “Dad seems sad since he came back”
- Doesn’t understand trauma
- Just knows dad is different
- Confused and a little scared
This shows:
- Impact of adult problems on children
- Without requiring child to have adult understanding
Vulnerability Without Helplessness
The Balance:
Children are:
- Vulnerable (smaller, less power, dependent)
- But not helpless (have agency, make choices, affect world)
Jas:
- Vulnerable: Lost parents, unstable home
- Not helpless: Has friendships, interests (toy cow), participates in town
Vincent:
- Vulnerable: Anxious, younger, less confident
- Not helpless: Plays, explores, has opinions, grows
The difference matters:
Helpless characters: Objects of pity, no agency Vulnerable characters: Real people facing real challenges
The Voice: How Children Actually Talk
Common Mistakes:
1. Too Precocious “Father, I deduce that your absence has caused mother considerable distress.” → No child talks like this
2. Too Cutesy “Me wuvs you so much!” → Infantilizing, especially for kids 5+
3. Too Adult “I’m processing my abandonment issues.” → Children don’t have this vocabulary
The Reality:
Children ages 6-8 (Jas, Vincent):
Characteristics:
- Shorter sentences
- Concrete thinking (“the dog is big” not “canine is substantial”)
- Emotional directness (“I’m scared” not “I’m experiencing anxiety”)
- Repetition for comfort
- Questions—constant questions
- Imaginative leaps
Examples from Stardew:
Jas: “Do you like my toy cow? Her name is is Marigold.”
- Simple sentence structure
- Named toy (attachment object)
- Seeks validation
Vincent: “I’m going to catch a fish THIS big!” (presumably gesturing)
- Exaggeration (common in children)
- Physical expression
- Enthusiasm
Children’s Wisdom (Used Sparingly)
The “Mouths of Babes” Trope
The trope: Child says something unintentionally profound.
Why it’s problematic when overused:
- Makes child a device for adult revelation
- Feels manipulative
- Unrealistic if constant
When it works:
- Used sparingly
- Emerges from child logic (not adult wisdom in small body)
- Actually sounds like something a kid would say
Example (hypothetical):
Adult: “I can’t forgive them for what they did.” Child: “But… if you don’t forgive, won’t you just be sad forever?”
Why this works:
- Simple logic (child’s approach)
- Emotionally direct (children are)
- Not flowery or philosophical
- One moment, not constant
The Technique: What They Notice vs. What They Understand
Children are observant but don’t always understand what they’re seeing.
Jas might notice:
- Shane drinks a lot
- Marnie and Lewis are “friends” (but something seems secretive)
- Some adults are sad
Jas doesn’t understand:
- Alcoholism as disease
- Affair dynamics
- Depression
Show the observation. Let the lack of understanding create poignancy.
“Aunt Marnie spends a lot of time with Mayor Lewis. Are they best friends?” → Observes pattern, misses adult context
“Shane has lots of bottles in his room.” → Sees evidence, doesn’t grasp meaning
This creates:
- Authentic child perspective
- Dramatic irony (reader understands more than child)
- Emotional depth without explaining
Childhood Isn’t Just Trauma
The Balance:
Children in difficult situations still:
- Play
- Laugh
- Have fun
- Experience joy
- Are resilient
Jas:
- Processes grief
- But also plays with Vincent
- Loves her toy cow
- Participates in egg hunts
- Has moments of pure childhood joy
This is realistic:
- Children compartmentalize
- They live in the present
- Trauma doesn’t erase capacity for happiness
Showing this balance:
- Respects resilience
- Avoids trauma porn
- Depicts realistic childhood
The Adults Around Children
How Adults Interact Reveals Character
Penny:
- Patient teacher
- Protective of Jas and Vincent
- Age-appropriate expectations
Shane (pre-recovery):
- Loves Jas but struggles
- Inadequate but trying
- Guilt about not being enough
Marnie:
- Provides for Jas
- But emotionally unavailable
- Does practical care, struggles with emotional
The adults’ interactions with children reveal:
- Their capacity for care
- Their limitations
- Their priorities
Practical Takeaway
To write children as real people:
1. Real emotions, simplified language
- They feel deeply
- They express simply
- Honor both
2. Show adult problems through child understanding
- They see effects, not causes
- They notice, don’t fully comprehend
- Use their limited framework
3. Avoid cutesy condescension
- Age-appropriate ≠ babyish
- Respect them as people
- Don’t talk down
4. Balance vulnerability and agency
- They’re at risk
- But not helpless
- They make choices within constraints
5. Let them be children
- Play, laugh, explore
- Not defined only by trauma
- Resilience and joy coexist with pain
6. Use concrete, direct language
- Short sentences
- Literal thinking (until ~age 7-8)
- Questions, lots of questions
7. Make them three-dimensional
- Interests, fears, hopes
- Relationships beyond adults
- Lives that feel ongoing
Why This Matters
Children in stories are often:
- Devices to motivate adults
- Props to create emotion
- Simplified versions of people
But real children are:
- Complex emotional beings
- Processing the world with limited tools
- Worthy of dignity and authentic representation
When you write a child character:
Ask: “If a real child read this, would they feel seen? Or condescended to?”
Ask: “Am I treating them as a person or a prop?”
Ask: “Is this how a real kid would think, talk, feel?”
Jas and Vincent aren’t perfect representations.
But they’re people.
Small people with big feelings, limited understanding, and genuine presence.
And that’s what makes them worth writing.
Next: The Elder’s Wisdom - Evelyn, George, and aging with dignity