Yes, I think it's important to remember that to Nicola these ages seem ancient and a very long way off. She's perfectly capable of appreciating how awful it is for children to lose a parent, but appreciating that Mrs. Clavering has lost a child is beyond her at the moment, because to her mind an adult with children of her own is no longer someone's child. It's the same bizarre teenager-logic that lets Lawrie differentiate between criticizing Grandmother and criticizing "Mummy's mother."
And also, I think when you're a child you can easily have an idea that when you grow up everything will become easier to handle. After all, lots of things are terrifying for children that are perfectly easy for adults. And any child who pays attention is going to realize that adulthood involves coping with the deaths of loved ones. It's easier to imagine your future self as impossibly stoic than it is to face the reality of how much crushing grief is waiting for you down the line.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Mrs Clavering
Date: 2014-11-29 03:03 pm (UTC)And also, I think when you're a child you can easily have an idea that when you grow up everything will become easier to handle. After all, lots of things are terrifying for children that are perfectly easy for adults. And any child who pays attention is going to realize that adulthood involves coping with the deaths of loved ones. It's easier to imagine your future self as impossibly stoic than it is to face the reality of how much crushing grief is waiting for you down the line.
--Katy