Fatherly wisdom
Jazz fan asked for a oneshot of Emma noticing something wrong with Henry and going to Charming for advice as she doesn't know how to get him to open up.
"I just don't get it." Emma sighed as she took a sip of her coffee. "He told me he was doing well in graphics, but his teacher has told me he's barely scraping a C if passing at all. Why isn't he telling me that he's struggling?" Emma asked her dad. Charming made sure he listened to Emma carefully, he'd been worried when Emma had asked him to meet her for breakfast today. She'd sounded awful on the phone.
"Well maybe he was worried you'd be disappointed? You know Henry, all he wants to do is make everyone happy. Maybe he's worried if you know he's struggling you'll be mad at him. I know that you wouldn't be, I'm just trying to see things from his point of view." Charming suggested.
"Well how do I get him to talk to me without thinking I'll be mad?" Emma asked. Charming thought for a moment of how best to approach the boy.
"Well maybe offer to do his homework with him. If he's doing homework with you he has to admit when he doesn't know something. Just make sure you're subtle and don't make him feel bad for not telling you." Charming told her. Emma broke out into a massive grin.
"Great idea dad, thanks." Charming smiled back at her.
"Any time, sweetheart."
The next afternoon Emma was sitting with a broken Henry.
"I'm sorry mom." He sniffed. "But I don't know if I can do this." Emma rubbed gentle circles on his back.
"Henry, I know you can do this." She assured him. "But it's ok that you need some help. We can arrange for someone to tutor you- maybe one of the older pupils. You'll be alright. We'll work through it together. I promise." Emma was so grateful to her dad for his advice. She would make sure to call him later that night. Thanks to him Henry was going to be ok.