History Main / TroubledChild

This has excellent [[TheWoobie Woobie]] potential, but if the writers go too far, they may end up as TheScrappy for less "compassionate" viewers. Opposite of the CheerfulChild. Compare CreepyChild, and don't confuse with BrattyHalfPint (although in some cases children act out due to underlying emotional issues). Compare LonelyRichKid. See also HarmfulToMinors, which frequently overlaps with this.

This has excellent [[TheWoobie Woobie]] potential, but if the writers go too far, they may end up as TheScrappy for less "compassionate" viewers. Opposite of the CheerfulChild. Compare CreepyChild, and don't confuse with BrattyHalfPint. Compare LonelyRichKid. See also HarmfulToMinors, which frequently overlaps with this.

* Series/DarkShadows: David Collins and Amy Jennings. Amy is outright called this by Dr. Julia Hoffman after the girl escapes from a sanitarium. She's an orphan, one of her brothers has died and the other one seems to want nothing to do with her at times [[spoiler:(he's actually worried about her safety, as he's secretly a werewolf)]]. Her cousin Joe also goes crazy and tries to kidnap her [[spoiler: after witnessing her brother's transformation]]. David, meanwhile, has a strained-at-best relationship with his father (with the two being outright resentful of each other at times), was almost killed by Barnabas for getting too close to finding out the truth about him, and was almost burned alive along his own mother by her hand.
* Buffy seems to be one of these when she arrives on Uncle Bill's doorstep in the pilot episode of Series/FamilyAffair. She's only about six years old and has already lost both her parents, been separated from her siblings (including her twin brother), and is being left there by a relative who doesn't want her. She responds in curt "Yes, sir," and "No, sir," statements, bites French when he calls her a "little clot," and tries to run away when she thinks she'll be shipped off to a school in Switzerland. Thankfully, she's mostly better by the end of the episode - though she still lapses into moroseness at times throughout the series, especially in the earlier episodes. Her twin brother, Jody, seems less troubled, though he also has his fair share of moments.

[[folder: Film ]]

Has excellent [[TheWoobie Woobie]] potential, but if the writers go too far, they may end up as TheScrappy for less "compassionate" viewers. Opposite of the CheerfulChild. Compare CreepyChild, and don't confuse with BrattyHalfPint. Compare LonelyRichKid. See also HarmfulToMinors, which frequently overlaps with this.

Often times will grow up to be a TroubledTeen.

[[folder: Manga and Anime ]]

Has excellent [[TheWoobie Woobie]] potential, but if the writers go too far, they may end up as TheScrappy for less "compassionate" viewers. Opposite of the CheerfulChild. Compare CreepyChild, and don't confuse with BrattyHalfPint. Compare LonelyRichKid.

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* Luka, an orphan the team was sent to rescue in "The Stork Job" in ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' Getting used in a scam that sends orphans to loving prospective parents to milk all their money before being forcibly dragged back to an OrphanageOfFear will do that to you.

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * Luka, an orphan the team was sent to rescue in "The Stork Job" in ''Series/{{Leverage}}''.

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out.

[[AC: {{Manga}} and {{Anime}}]]

%%* Shinji Ikari from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Along with [[DysfunctionJunction most of the cast]], for that matter.

%%* The anime ''Anime/{{K}}'' gives us Anna Kushina, the only female member of the superpowered gang HOMRA.

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%%* Most kids in Shyamalan movies.

%%[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
%%* Eff Rothmer, the title character of ''Literature/ThirteenthChild''
%%* Sohrab in ''Literature/TheKiteRunner''.

%%[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
%%* Luka, an orphan the team was sent to rescue in "The Stork Job" in ''Series/{{Leverage}}''.
%%* Most kids in ''Series/TheXFiles''.
%%** Except the [[EnfantTerrible creepy homicidal ones.]]
%%* Cassandra when she first appeared on ''Series/StargateSG1''. The show lasted long enough for us to see her grow out of it and become a normal (i.e. rather bratty) teenager.
%%* Tomoya from ''Series/{{Aishiteru}}''.

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]

[[AC:TabletopRPG]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* Winthrop in ''TheMusicMan'', described by his older sister Marian as "a problem child who can't understand why his father was taken away." He lisps when he talks, too.

The TroubledChild is an innocent-looking youngster who looks cute enough, until you notice they rarely smile, and tend to talk in a broken deadpan when they talk at all. They may inexplicably burst into tears at times. Usually the cause of their trouble is ParentalAbandonment, AbusiveParents, or a congenital impairment of some sort.

* ''Manga/NatsumesBookOfFriends'' is about a TroubledChild finally getting a chance to recover from past trauma he's dealt with.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/{{Aliens}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ripley_newt.jpg]]]]

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%%[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ripley_newt.jpg]]

[[caption-width-right:350:"I'm not sure which she needs more, a hug or a bath." ]]

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

%%* Newt in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* Luka, an orphan the team was sent to rescue in "The Stork Job" in ''Series/{{Leverage}}''.
* Most kids in ''Series/TheXFiles''.
** Except the [[EnfantTerrible creepy homicidal ones.]]
* Cassandra when she first appeared on ''Series/StargateSG1''. The show lasted long enough for us to see her grow out of it and become a normal (i.e. rather bratty) teenager.

[[AC: {{Manga}} and {{Anime}}]]
* Fard from ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon''. Like most of the other kids, [[spoiler: he lost his parents when the Buff Clan attacked the colony on Solo.]] Spends most of his time, moping, cries easily and carries a rag doll with him for most of the series. [[spoiler: Then, he's killed off. Alongside everyone else.]]
* Emile of ''Manga/CountCain'', due to ParentalNeglect, mainly.
* ''Manga/NatsumesBookOfFriends'' is about a TroubledChild finally getting a chance to recover from past trauma he's dealt with.
%%* Shinji Ikari from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Along with [[DysfunctionJunction most of the cast]], for that matter.
* Yuu from ''{{Anime/Noein}}''. At the beginning of the series it's quite clear he's on the edge of a severe nervous breakdown due to the '''extremely''' controlling nature of his mother. Once his mother gets some sense talked into her and eases up, he starts to slowly improve.
* The anime ''Anime/{{K}}'' gives us Anna Kushina, the only female member of the superpowered gang HOMRA.

* Link from the ''{{Daria}}'' movie ''Is It Fall Yet?'' came out somewhere between this and a MouthyKid--he was clearly miserable (by his own admission) due to a difficult home life, but his attitude was less depressed and more angry as a result.