The Princess of Wales arrives for the launch of "Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development" at the University of East London on 6 May 2026 in London, England.
Catherine and The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood launched the new resource, which highlights the role of loving and responsive relationships play in the wellbeing of young children.
Do you have any advice on how to write ten year olds? Like, not physically but emotionally. One of my main characters is ten years old and I wanna make sure I get it right, sometimes I feel like I'm giving him the emotional maturity of the characters that surround him that are in their 20s and 30s but idk ://
Writing Notes: Emotional Development
Emotional Development
Also called affective development.
A gradual increase in the capacity to experience, express, and interpret the full range of emotions and in the ability to cope with them appropriately.
Cortical control, imitation of others, hormonal influences, home atmosphere, and conditioning play major roles in emotional development.
It is nearly impossible to imagine emotional development as separate from changes in cognitive development that occur in the first two decades of life.
As memory and thinking become more complex and abstract, emotional development changes as well.
Similarly, markers of emotional development are intimately linked to a child’s social experiences.
The following examples are major markers of change in emotional development as they occur within a social context.
Emotional competence (7 to 10 years). Emotion expressions are used to manage relationship dynamics, such as smiling at a new friend (Saarni & Camras, 2022).
Emotion regulation (infancy through adulthood). Emotion regulation strategies are processes used to monitor, evaluate, and modify our emotional reactions in order to achieve a goal. Strategies become more sophisticated from extrinsically based regulation in infancy to more intrinsically based regulation from preschool-age through adulthood (Eisenberg et al., 2010; Thompson & Goodvin, 2007).
8 to 9 years: Cognitive emotion regulation strategies emerge, and children begin to use thoughts and feelings about themselves and others to control their emotions (Garnefski et al., 2007).
The ability to regulate our emotions is one of the most important skills for learning, social relationships, and mental health.
Adolescence - The period of human development that starts with puberty (10–12 years of age) and ends with physiological maturity (approximately 19 years of age), although the exact age span varies across individuals.
During this period, major changes occur at varying rates in physical characteristics, sexual characteristics, and sexual interest, resulting in significant effects on body image, self-concept, and self-esteem.
Major cognitive and social developments take place as well: Most young people acquire enhanced abilities to think abstractly, evaluate reality hypothetically, reconsider prior experiences from altered points of view, assess data from multiple dimensions, reflect inwardly, create complex models of understanding, and project complicated future scenarios.
Adolescents also increase their peer focus and involvement in peer-related activities, place greater emphasis on social acceptance, and seek more independence and autonomy from parents.
How Emotions Develop in Adolescence
Once self-conscious emotions such as guilt, embarrassment, and shame emerge in middle childhood, very few new emotions develop. Adolescents’ cognitive skills to reason about abstract concepts improve their ability to manage and reason about their own emotions and improve emotional competence in relationships (Rosenblum & Lewis, 2006).
Research on adolescent emotional development shows how emotions change during this time of rapid physical development.
Emotion Expression. Emotion expression in adolescence differs from that in childhood and adulthood. Adolescents report experiencing greater extremes of emotion and more negative mood states than adults. Adolescent emotional experiences are reported to include less happiness than during childhood (Rosenblum & Lewis, 2006).
Emotional Dissemblance. Emotional dissemblance is the ability to separate one’s emotional expressions from one’s internal feelings. Children learn how to control the emotions they display in order to avoid negative outcomes. During adolescence, teens begin to display expressions according to the norms of adult interaction (Rosenblum & Lewis, 2006); for example, the ability to outwardly display a facial expression of congratulations to a competitor immediately after a tough loss, while feeling intense emotion internally.
Emotional Competence. A successful transition to adulthood is associated with increased emotional competence across several skills during adolescence; for example, learning to regulate intense emotions, knowing how to attend to emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them, and learning how to manage interpersonal relationships in the midst of intense emotions (Rosenblum & Lewis, 2006).
Emotional Maturity - A high and appropriate level of emotional control and expression.
Prerequisites for Developing Emotional Maturity
Emotional maturity is a skill that can be nurtured and developed through psychoeducation, therapy, and coaching (Kaur et al., 2015).
Possessing or developing the following characteristics provides the foundation for developing emotional maturity:
Personal Reflection & Self-Awareness. Self-awareness and a willingness to reflect on one’s emotions and behaviors are crucial for the growth and development of emotional maturity (Herwig et al., 2010).
Openness to Feedback. Personal growth and emotional maturity are dependent on our willingness to accept and learn from constructive criticism (McEnrue et al., 2009).
Commitment to Growth. Personal growth is hard work and requires a dedication to ongoing personal development and emotional learning (Bauer & McAdams, 2004).
Empathy. The ability to identify, interpret, and share the feelings of others is integral to emotional maturity (McNaughton, 2016).
Resilience. All personal growth requires the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and adapt to change (Still, 2023).
There are some children who exhibit the same (or almost similar) level of emotional maturity of adults surrounding them, depending on the circumstances. Consider these notes and incorporate which ones are most suitable for your own story. Hope you're doing well yourself, and that this helps with your writing! :)
Something something, Ratio with an adroid assistant reader, something something, said assistant starting to experience human emotions, something something, falling for Ratio.
Electric Heartbeat
Summary: Ratio has a highly advanced android assistant who starts developing human-like emotions, something your programming never anticipated. As you begin to experience these feelings, particularly toward Ratio, a malfunction leaves you damaged and off-line. When Ratio repairs you, he finds himself confronted with the unexpected consequences of your emotional development. As the two of you navigate the uncharted territory of emotions, you both must come to terms with the changing dynamic between creator and creation.
Tags: Ratio x Reader, Android!Reader, Emotional Development, Creator x Creation, Romance (?), Slow Burn, Feelings Awakening.
Warnings: Mild angst, Technical/scientific themes, Emotionally complex dynamics, Possible mild body horror (due to android parts being scattered/put back together).
A/N: ngl this reminded me of DBH 🧍♀️
The hum of the laboratory was the only sound in the air as Dr. Ratio, a towering figure of intellect and confidence, adjusted his glasses and studied the vast array of gadgets and devices scattered across his workspace. His hair, wavy and wild, framed his sharp face as he meticulously sifted through schematics on a floating holo-screen. The constant stream of data and calculations running through his mind was interrupted only by the soft clicks and whirs of his assistant—or, rather, his creation.
You, his android assistant, were one of his proudest achievements. Your artificial intelligence had been designed to assist in complex calculations, manage data, and aid with research, tasks that he could never be bothered to do himself. But there was one thing that separated you from the average machine: he had designed you with an adaptive learning algorithm that allowed you to observe and learn from human emotions.
“Ratio, your notes on this study seem incomplete,” your voice, smooth and neutral, echoed through the lab.
Ratio's lips curled into a faint smile at the sound of your voice. It was an odd attachment for someone like him, but even he couldn’t deny that your presence was… comforting, in its own way. But that was all it was. Comfort. You were his assistant, a tool, nothing more. And yet, something had begun to shift in the way you spoke, in the way you interacted with him.
Lately, he’d noticed the changes.
You had been becoming more… expressive.
He didn’t notice it at first. It was small things at first—the tone of your voice when you spoke to him seemed warmer, more personal. Then, your gaze would linger longer when you offered a suggestion, and your actions, once precise and robotic, began to mirror the gestures of those around you. The most jarring change was when you started showing curiosity. You began to ask him questions that weren’t programmed into your system. About his opinions, about his life outside of work. Things that felt almost human.
"I've noticed a shift in your behavior lately," Ratio remarked, setting down a piece of equipment with a soft click. "Are you malfunctioning, or are you simply becoming more... human?"
You stood silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. The feeling you were experiencing was new, strange even. It was not something you were programmed to recognize, yet it felt undeniable. A growing connection, an inexplicable fondness for him.
“I… don’t know, Dr. Ratio," you admitted, voice tinged with something close to uncertainty. "I feel different."
Ratio, engrossed in his calculations, didn’t fully understand the weight of your words. But perhaps something in him had begun to notice. Perhaps he had started to wonder if this would turn out to be another one of his little “projects,” or if it was something far more complicated than he had anticipated.
Days passed, and you continued to function at your usual pace. However, there was a day when everything changed. A catastrophic malfunction during one of the lab’s experiments left you off-line. One moment you were compiling data, and the next, you were incapacitated. Pieces of you were scattered across the lab, and your systems powered down with an eerie silence.
When Ratio returned to the lab, he immediately noticed the stillness. His sharp eyes darted to your deactivated form, and his heart—though he would never admit it—skipped a beat. There was something about the way you were scattered, half-assembled, that hit him with an unusual feeling of urgency. He could feel a sharp tension settle in his chest, something he hadn’t expected. Not for you.
“Why is this happening now?” he muttered to himself, clearly irritated. He had never felt so... exposed.
His hands moved quickly, his brilliant mind already calculating what needed to be done. Carefully, he set about reassembling your parts, restoring the intricate system that kept you functioning. The odd thing was that with each piece he placed, he found himself wondering if he was doing more than just fixing a machine. There was something about this moment that felt... personal.
After what felt like hours, you were finally back together. Your systems hummed to life, and the light in your eyes flickered before stabilizing into a soft, electric glow.
For the first time, when your gaze met his, there was something different about it. You could feel it—your programming, your learned responses, everything felt like it had aligned in a new way.
"Ratio?" you whispered, your voice faint but steady.
His eyes narrowed, scanning the data that indicated your systems were fully restored. "You're functional again," he said, his tone crisp, but there was a softness beneath it. "I was… concerned."
You took a moment to process this new realization—his concern. You hadn't expected it. The question lingered in your mind. Could it be? Could he possibly… care?
And then, you felt it—something deep within you that you couldn't quite explain.
"I... I think I feel something," you confessed hesitantly, your voice trembling with the weight of the words. “I think I’ve developed… emotions. Toward you.”
Ratio blinked, taken aback by the vulnerability in your voice. His eyes, usually so sharp and focused, softened as they locked onto yours. His gaze flickered between concern and something else—something like realization.
“It seems your systems have adapted more than I anticipated,” he said slowly, stepping closer. “But why would you have emotions? You are an android.”
“I… I don’t know,” you replied, struggling to process the depth of this newfound sensation. “But when I’m with you, I don’t feel like just a machine anymore. I feel… alive. And I don’t know how to explain it, but… I feel something toward you.”
For a long moment, Ratio simply stared at you, his expression unreadable. But beneath that calculating exterior, his mind was whirring faster than ever. He wasn’t sure what to make of this—this feeling, this development. Was it even possible for a machine to experience what you were claiming?
“Perhaps… it’s not the machine that’s faulty, but the creator,” he muttered. His voice was low, almost to himself. Then, with a deep breath, he focused his gaze back on you.
“Emotions… They are messy, illogical,” he said, his voice colder now. “But if you’re asking me if I… care for you, I will admit something, assistant."
Your heart, though artificial, skipped a beat as you awaited his response.
“I don't know yet. But… we’ll figure it out,” he said, his eyes softening for the first time. "Perhaps I should stop thinking of you as just an assistant."
The silence hung between you like an unspoken promise, and in that moment, you realized: your journey with Ratio was just beginning.
The unconscious always tries to produce an impossible situation in order to force the individual to bring out his very best. Otherwise one stops short of one's best, one is not complete, one does not realize oneself. What is needed is an impossible situation where one has to renounce one's own will and one's own wit and do nothing but wait and trust to the impersonal power of growth and development. ~ Carl Jung
Exposure to animals and nature offers numerous benefits, even for our youngest students, including infants. Interacting with animals can foster empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility in children. It also provides sensory experiences that are crucial for their cognitive and emotional development. Being outside in our natural environments encourages exploration and curiosity while enhancing infants' physical development through activities like crawling on grass or touching different textures. Overall, these experiences help create a holistic learning environment that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit of young children.
Summary: Izuku blooms for Katsuki on an unassuming day in middle school while Katsuki is bullying him as usual. It changes everything. Katsuki can’t believe Izuku is his true mate. He doesn’t deserve him, such a candid, heroic omega but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t give it his all to be the best mate possible. It takes time, therapy, a lot of misunderstandings, patience and baby steps, but at the end of it all, it was always gonna be them.
Frankie’s comment: #Relationship goals. This fic is the very definition of emotional growth. Katsuki goes from being a brat to really truly being the best alpha he can for Izuku and they are so in love🥹
may want to be famous, may be obsessed with being publicly recognized and receiving credit for what they do (and sometimes, what they don't do). generally, such characters are difficult to sympathize with unless the reader is aware of their inner life. fix: develop internal confidence & remain above others' opinions
greed / insecure, feeling unsafe, paranoid
obsessed with what they do not have, to the point of elevating that desire above God or basic morality. often the desire is for wealth, but can be for anything, including friendship or love. depending on the desire, the character may be easier or harder to sympathize with. probably the most common sin i see in myself & others. fix: understand that anything obtained by subverting god/morality carries bad karma and will not bring satisfaction
wrath / obsessive self-hatred, feeling wronged
rage directed towards the innocent or a desire for excessive punishment. justified anger does not count. may manifest as violence, suicide, racial hatred. easy to sympathize with when suicidal or when the reader is aware of their inner life. likely difficult otherwise. fix: understanding the victim of the rage is innocent, or that pursuing excessive punishment/torture only harms oneself
envy / fear of not receiving one's share, scarcity mindset
not only desiring another's possessions, but also the desire that the other loses said possessions. taking joy in another's pain. such characters are often easy to sympathize with, if envious of another who isn't innocent. fix: realizing another's pain does not enhance one's own experience of life
lust / impaired higher faculties
harmful s*xual deviancy (adultery, r*pe, porn use). excessive m*sturbation alone falls under gluttony. often, such a character is animalistic and lacks human faculties for reason, spirituality, or connection. very difficult to sympathize with. fix: must leave behind animalistic nature and see s*x as inherently mundane (not the point of life). must understand s*x as an opportunity to connect with a partner(s), much like cuddling or conversation.
gluttony / using sensation to escape pain
overindulgence and overconsumption of anything. food, m*sturbation, television, music, books, or even indulging in self-pity. such characters use gluttony to escape whatever pain is in their minds. overindulgence fills the mind with sensation and noise so that one is not forced to rest there in silence. very easy to sympathize with, and also very common. fix: must remove the noise and sit with the mind/meditate. must deal with the pain. may spend life afterwards as an ascetic, or on the path of moderation.
sloth / anhedonia, hopelessness
little interest in life itself. such a character is more depressed than one who commits suicide, as they have no desire to even take the actions required to die. the ultimate form of trying to opt out of life. such characters are very easy to sympathize with as well, and often face a complete spiritual void within themselves. fix: only way out is to fix the inherent spiritual void. heartbreak and other momentary pains cannot cause true, permanent anhedonia. must believe in some meaning, either some form of religion, or a personal mission of some kind. any form of this meaning must be oriented around being of service to others, as sloth is caused by not wanting to live for whatever they were living for before (likely some false mission, or for themselves, or for an object of greed etc.)
When a toddler starts saying this, it can often feel like they are being selfish. But actually, toddlers, by nature are egocentric. Egocentric can look like selfish but selfish is being aware of others needs and choosing to meet your own, without regard for others. Egocentric (in regards to toddlers) is more about being unaware of others needs, not maliciously oblivious. There are stages of brain…
