Is it just me, or is there a real problem in fantasy/sci-fi books with believable kids?

[conuly]

It seems that people don't write kids well. Kids in sci-fi and fantasy can't just be kids, they always have to be precocious, and usually friendless. You don't ever have kids who just sit and play video games, you have kids like Ender, who play video games that kill real aliens, and are better at it than any of the adults. Or Tiffany Aching, who knows more words than the adults around her and, again, can do what adults can't do. Or Kit and Nita, who end up giving a lecture to Nita's parents on responsibility (though they're less of a dramatic example than the other two). Wesley Crusher is always saving the Enterprise. I can go on, but I really don't want to have to search up books for references. I want answers. IS this real, and if so, why? And does this problem exist in other genres?

Comments

[snarkophagus.livejournal.com]

It's definitely a trend that I've noticed, which is why I've shied away from fantasy involving kids. Most of it is just outside the range of believable for me.

As for genres, I haven't noticed the same issues with kids in anything other than fantasy. I could just be reading the wrong books, but I've seen more childlike behavior in the children in other genres.

On the other hand, when I was a child, I loved to see that kind of thing in books. I never perceived myself as more intelligent than the adults around me, but I also never fit in with kids my age. At that time, it was very easy for me to identify with the fictional children who I just can't credit now.