Indeed - while this has never been directly confirmed that I can think of, one of my pet theories about Batman is that part of him never really did grow up. He's been stunted emotionally ever since that night in the alley - a good part of his emotional makeup is still that of an eight-year old. He covers it up behind a mask of icy professionalism and a big-scary-man alter ego, but every now and then the mask slips, and we see the little boy underneath, the emotions still as raw and unhealed. It explains a hell of a lot about the character, both good and bad - for the good, it explains why, as you say, he's so good with kids, and how he has managed to successfully train three different generations of young sidekicks. (Note also how strained his relationships with said sidekicks have gotten as they grow older - they have progressed beyond him; they have grown in a way he never can. He doesn't understand them anymore.) For the bad, it explains why, especially in recent years, he can be so, well, childish at times. His attitude towards his fellow heroes - especially those in Gotham, such as the Spoiler - frequently displays a sort of pouting unprofessionalism which seems incongruous until you translate it into the language of the playground. ('No, no, NO! You're not playing by the rules! This is MY game, and I make the rules! I'm not playing with you any more!') So yeah, it's just me playing armchair psychologist, but it makes sense, wouldn't you say? I'm not the only person to think so, either - Joe R. Lansdale, in his short story 'The Joker's Trick-or-Treat', has Batman's favorite snack being a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which does not exactly thrill Alfred, as you may imagine. (He also makes reference to how Bruce used to run around the house in a homemade Zorro costume as a kid.)