She couldn't be on his wavelength all the time. That's all. When you could recognize that and deal with it, you were on your way to an adult relationship.
Schizoid behavior is a pretty common thing in children. It's accepted, because all we adults have this unspoken agreement that children are lunatics.
Adults are the real monsters.
I'm seen as somebody who writes for adults because I'm an older man myself. Some of them find me, and a lot of them don't.