Parents and clinicians share a deep interest in promoting children's personal maturity and character development. Dr. Elizabeth Berger, mother, child psychiatrist, and educator, addresses this concern by calling upon her own personal experiences and professional expertise. The goal of therapists and parents alike is to understand children's emerging character, recruiting the wise and mature aspects of the personality in an effort to surmount difficulties. Dr. Berger identifies general themes in the intimate relationship between parent and child and shows how to support and enhance the forward direction of the child's character growth. Rich vignettes illustrate how ordinary family interactions involving issues such as authority, sharing, schoolwork, money, sexuality, and others can promote this growth process. Concentrating on the long-term unfolding of the child's inner spirit, the parents' mission is redefined, as struggles over behavior management give way to learning to trust and enhance the child's emerging maturity. Addressing both parents and clinicians, this intelligent, well-written, and thought-provoking book offers practical advice and deep understanding of the emotional bond between parent and child.