It does this by providing the support and direction they need to grow and accept what was going on in their life. Throughout the book The Age Of Miracles you see this between Julia and Seth. At the beginning of the book they don't really know each other, but each faces their own problems. Seth had to deal with the fact that his mother had cancer and was dying, and Julia had to deal with her parents fighting and her father cheating on her mother. Not to mention the slowdown that has also occurred in facing the possibility of the end of the world. This is a lot for one child to take on alone. That's why it's sometimes important for the coming of age theme to have someone who supports and grows alongside the character so they can both learn together. You can see it when Seth and Julia start dating. They both slowly begin to understand what is happening and that life will never go back to the way it was before. Not only that, but they support each other when dealing with their personal problems. This leads to the characters supporting and leaning on each other, which leads to an acceptance that the world is now a new and strange place and that they may or may not live in it much longer. But above all it gives the characters the strength to grow and become more confident adults