Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-9232373-20130520194748/@comment-4975807-20130520200952

The curse was designed to stop time and freeze everyone in their cursed lives as they re-live the sameness in their lives over and over. They do not realize it because it's the effect of the curse. So questions like, How they met each other and such, it's not a matter of questioning, but knowing. The curse imprinted lives and memories for everyone in town. For example, when Regina went to Mary Margaret in the school and asked her how long she's been a teacher, under the influence of the curse for Mary Margaret, there's no awareness that she's basically living out the same day over and over. For her, every time is the first time she sees Regina coming to the school to speak with her. That's why she replies, "As long as I can remember". And Dr. Hopper being a psychiatrist. Under the curse, do you think he remembers getting his PhD? Yes, he does. The curse made the memories for him and he recalls them as if they are real, though Regina scoffs at one point that he got his PhD from the curse.

As for Henry, that's a more tricky topic since we haven't seen flashbacks of the years in which he grew up. But, we do know that Henry, too, was affected by the curse once he was brought into and grew up in Storybrooke. The curse *did* cloud his mind as well and influenced him into seeing things exactly how the other residents did as well. Adam Horowitz said so himself when asked: https://twitter.com/AdamHorowitzLA/status/312059266406170625

Only when he was given the storybook Henry's perception changed and from the book he began to realize things were staying the same and no one else knew that except him and Regina.

I believe his classmates not being aware he is aging is also an effect of the curse. For them, they don't notice his aging in the same aspect of Mary Margaret *always* remembering she's been a teacher as long as she can recall. It's not a matter of questioning. What they remember is seeing Henry at whatever age despite his aging since the curse doesn't allow them to move forward in time.