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  • Published: 5 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781785045233
  • Imprint: Vermilion
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $39.99

How to Raise an Emotionally Mature Child

Your Blueprint to a Lifetime of Happiness and Success for Your Child

  • Lindsay Gibson



A groundbreaking approach to parenting that presents emotional maturity as the foundation for happy and resilient children – from the clinical psychologist of million-copy bestseller Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Emotional maturity is the single most important quality a parent can help develop in their child – it enables a person to function autonomously, handle stress, flourish in diverse environments, form lasting relationships and achieve personal and professional success.

In How to Raise an Emotionally Mature Child, Lindsay Gibson explains the cognitive, psychological and social challenges children face, and how, as parents, we can support their emotional development so they become confident, happy and resilient adults.

Using the lens of the Seven Parental Mindsets for Maturity, you’ll find out how to:

  • Identify common parenting traps and behaviours to avoid
  • What children really need to mature emotionally at every stage
  • Why you should let go of trying to be a ‘perfect parent’

Drawing on decades of work with families, this long-awaited book is essential reading for every parent – and your children will thank you for it!
  • Published: 5 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781785045233
  • Imprint: Vermilion
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 352
  • RRP: $39.99

Praise for How to Raise an Emotionally Mature Child

The wake-up call every parent needs. It pulls you out of reacting from your inner eight-year-old and shows you how to build the emotional foundation for a healthy, lifelong relationship with your kids. They don’t need you to be perfect – they need you to be present and willing to truly see who they are.

MEL ROBBINS, author of THE LET THEM THEORY

If, like me, you’ve ever wondered whether you are screwing up your kids, this book is for you. Mercifully, Lindsay Gibson argues that instead of aiming for perfection, you should aim for connection. She has produced a practical guide for teaching kids emotional maturity.

DAN HARRIS, author of 10% HAPPIER

I love this book. Every parent needs to have a copy. With this book to guide your parenting, you can be sure your child will talk to you when they need guidance. There’s no greater benefit possible as a parent.

JOHN GOTTMAN, co-author of FIGHT RIGHT

Lindsay Gibson, who helped us finally understand our emotionally immature parents, is now sharing her wisdom on how to raise emotionally mature kids. Her style is clear and compassionate, helping readers at each age and stage of parenting. I couldn’t recommend it more!

HUNTER CLARKE-FIELDS, author of RAISING GOOD HUMANS

Reading this book is like spending a few hours with your wisest friend who also happens to have thirty-plus years of clinical experience. It is a warm, practical guide for the hardest, most rewarding, and most important job you’ll ever have. I wish I’d had it years ago.

DAVID EPSTEIN, author of RANGE

For a generation of adults raised by emotionally immature parents, Gibson’s research has offered life-changing insight and understanding. Now, as so many of those adults raise children of their own, she translates those insights into a clear, compassionate guide for parenting differently.

DR BECKY KENNEDY, clinical psychologist and author of GOOD INSIDE

Gibson goes beyond traditional parenting advice to help you truly connect with your child. It’s about shaping the relationships your child will carry into adulthood. By nurturing emotional maturity early, you’re giving your child skills that ripple outward.

NEDRA GLOVER TAWWAB, author of SET BOUNDARIES, FIND PEACE

This book is a gift to every parent who wants to raise emotionally grounded, resilient kids without getting swept up in the anxiety of today’s achievement culture.

JENNIFER BREHENY WALLACE, author of NEVER ENOUGH

Dr Gibson offers a reassuring approach to a simple, essential question: Does your child feel supported, loved, and understood? The result is an unusually sensible, grounded, and helpful guide to parenting.

FORREST HANSON, host of BEING WELL podcast