Optimists are often underrated in writing. And more often than that, written incorrectly. Speaking as one, I have a little experience on some of the misconceptions about them in general.
An optimist is usually more hopeful and confident than a pessimist, because they have this inner belief that things will work out alright, somehow. They are more often disappointed, because they often think things will turn out better than they do, but they spring back from it easier. They also tend to be natural romantics, but depending on your character, you can do whatever you wish with that side of things.
For a girl, you need to start with her backstory. As a baby, have her convery emotions often. Through smiling, screaming, kicking, she has to react to her surroundings. As a young kid, you can make her most anything, just not depressed. Even fiercely analytical can work, as long as she's ticklish. The pre-teen and teen years are particularly difficult. You can't make her shallow, but she needs some simple joys, and at least one adult to really look up to and be close to. It's important to have at least one parent in the equation, but in some cases that can be ignored. If the adult isn't a parent, it isn't that necessary for her to be around him or her that often, as long as he or she is there when the kid needs help. A friend, pet or sibling that she feels responsible for can help. Give her a goal to work towards. Without a goal, she will be disoriented and grumpy. Going for too long without one can be disastrous. How hard she works towards it can be your choice. Now this is very important: just because she's an optimist doesn't mean she's always happy. Just like anyone else, she isn't indestructible. There will be hard days, when she feels like everything's falling apart. This can be handled in every way except succumbing to it. If she is going through something really hard, either give her the feeling that she'll make it through, that failing isn't even really possible, or someone who may or may not be in the same situation to give her encouragement. Let her break down, cry for a couple hours, wonder how she's gonna make it through this.
Just don't let her issues completely overwhelm her. EVER. And you've got a pleasant, optimist, female character.
For a boy, the backstory is twice as important as it is with the girl. They build themselves out of the past, and usually feel defined by it. How they acted as a baby isn’t important, but early memories are huge. While it isn’t important to have both parents, he can feel incomplete with only one, and will likely have trouble accepting a step-parent. Be sure to give him something that he excels at. Long term goals aren't as important, but daily and short-term ones are. Give him someone to support his decisions, and someone to challenge him, and you’ve got most of it. Of course, someone or something to protect/fight for is a very good idea. He has to believe that there is something better out there, and may struggle with the thought that this is all for nothing. Boys aren’t really as prone to the “everything is going to hell” days, but they despise failure, which is where the something that they are good at becomes important. While how much they like adventure is up to you, they will need some sense of stability from somewhere. Something to depend on. Make sure he knows how to laugh, and doesn’t dissect jokes. A bit of teasing will go a long way. Pride is also common in optimists, so keep that in mind. It's possible for a guy to be both serious and an optimist, but it's harder to convey in writing.
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