Wait ok so Iāve already talked about some of this stuff before (see this post) but I still canāt stop thinking about how much being an acrobatic performer from an early age wouldāve impacted Dickās life. Like physical impacts aside. The whole idea of being raised to perform for a living is honestly so intense. There would be so much pressure to convey the right emotions, to smile at certain times, look serious at others, etc.
And while Iām sure all of the performers at Halyās were top tier and fantastic in their own right, I think Dick and his parents would have a special brand notoriety that would set them apart and put more pressure on them. They could tricks that were only able to be performed by very few people (the quad for one). They were on posters, and were probably one of the most famous in-universe acrobatic acts. They were basically Halyās headliner and what most people came to see. Which made it all the more important for their routine to be perfect.
I also think that at very least this wouldāve meant that they encountered some publicity outside of their shows as well (people recognizing them, asking for pictures, etc.) and there probably wouldāve been pressure on Dick to act well-behaved. After all, nobody was there to witness a kid having a tantrum or being bratty, right? Idk like as much as I love the whole āfantastic parents Mary and John Graysonā thing I think itās much more realistic that they were flawed and that some of the stuff they did had a negative impact on Dick (as it tends to be with most parents).
Like I do think they would try to nurture Dick, tend to his wounds/discomfort, etc. but at the same time if Dick spends too much time being upset/hurt, then it messes with their practice and their routines. Dick would have to be on a rigorous, disciplined schedule that wouldnāt leave much room for him to throw tantrums and stuff like most kids do. Gymnastics and aerial arts take extreme focus and hearing your kid crying or complaining would probably mess you up as well, and make it harder to work. As like I said earlier, it would probably be a bit of a PR nightmare for Halyās star act to be seen having issues in public so Dick would either not be allowed to have much interaction with people outside the circus, or he would have to be taught on how to perform PR smiles and shit.
And like Iāve said before, all of this is explicitly tied to their familyās (and the Circusā) source of income. While they might be world-famous acrobats, theyāre still likely not being paid very much, and even if Dick never really experienced food scarcity and poverty, money would be tight and he would at the very least be somewhat aware of this, even as a kid. So within Dickās mind, even as a child, emotional performance, acrobatics, publicity, and everything else is all tied to his survival. Without a good performance, his parents AND the circus wonāt make decent money, and without money they wonāt be able to live.
Then when Bruce takes him in, heās still performing to survive, just in a different way. As Dick Grayson, he has to maintain a good balance of āGood PRā while also making sure people donāt suspect their secret identities. As Robin, heās Batmanās partner but heās also the unlucky one attracting all the attention with his flashier acrobatics and bright colors. He grows up learning to maintain that balance of performing for everyone without giving too much away. With Bruce, heās a bit childish and flashy and bratty. With the Titans, heās serious and focused and a leader. With the press, heās sweet and smart and charming.
Somewhere along the way, he becomes the paragon of heroism. People look up to him, look towards him, see him as an ideal. He was the first hero, the first Robin, first leader of the Titans. Thatās why itās so easy to get envious of him - he set the bar and it feels like everyone else is falling short. They see him and strive to be like him as if itās some sort of competition. But Dickās perfectionism doesnāt come from competition, it comes from the need to survive, which almost makes it worst in a sense. Dick isnāt trying to be the best, heās just trying to live.
I might add onto this all later tbh this is just me trying to get my brain worms out but idk if any of this actually makes sense or is coherent in any way.
