Does anyone here have a child who is emotionally immature?

DH's sister's kids are both like that, but their mom babies the crap out of them (i.e. talks to them in a sing-song baby talk way, wants them to cuddle on her lap like toddlers, suggests things might be "scary" when they're not, etc.). Their DD (14) still carries around a baby blanket at times and their DS (11) acts like he's about 6. Both still suck their thumbs. I can tell that their dad wants them to act their ages, but their mom enables/encourages it. I don't think that's the case for every kid who is immature though.

Yep. My youngest (16). She's always been behind her peers, by about 2 to 3 years.

The problem is, she is 6'2" and looks like she's about 19 and so it really startles people when she displays behaviors more commonly found in 13 year olds. Just makes it difficult for her to be understood and accepted - middle school was absolute hell, grade school was even worse! She's finding her place though...her peers now are more patient and accepting and she's finally made one or two very good friends.

Best advice is don't expect more of your DS than they are capable of giving. Emotionally he will need greater understanding as he figures out how to deal with his feelings and peer set. Set firm boundaries and stick to them. My youngest does best with solid rules that don't change. This goes for the classroom too...the best teachers she's had have been the strict ones who don't put up with her nonsense.

Also, keep him involved in sports. The learning and growth that occurs in a team environment is amazing! My DD is in her 6th year of volleyball and we can attribute a lot of her emotional growth to working with the coaches and just being part of a team. It has been an invaluable experience for her and us.

I thought my son would NEVER grow up, but he actually did! Hang in there, Mom. Some boys are slower than others.

Yes. My 17 yo dd is very emotionally immature. She likes things that I imagine 12 and 13 yo girls like. She relates well to the younger girls in her dance class.

I'm glad she's not boy crazy yet.

Our son has always been "behind the curve". He will get there in his own time, and after 23 years, we are finally able to accept it. School was just hard for him until he got to high school, and then when he started to realize that he wasn't doing the things all his friends were (girlfriends, graduating college, etc.), he sorta went into a funk and was full of self-doubt.

Last year was his "therapist year". He was at the bottom of the ravine in a dark place and yet, thru the year he found himself again and from someone else helping him, he learned to accept himself the way he is and to not compare himself to others. I can't tell you the difference. He went from Probation due to low GPA in college to making the Deans List this semester. He's on track to finish his AA next fall semester and is now planning his own tour of the local state college because "Mom, I can do this".

Flip side of the coin - my sister is the 43 and still, frustratingly, is a high school sophomore mentally. High maintenance doesn't touch the surface. She is a recovering addict (10 years clean), had learning disabilities all thru school and has ADD that she refuses (to her downfall) to acknowledge and deal with. I found out last week that the "grants" for school she bragged about getting, weren't grants - they are loans. She is $30,000 in college debt - and has not completed her AA at a jr. college that she's been attending for 10 years while she works. We've suggested - strongly - that she stop and start paying the loans off - but she refuses. She has NOTHING saved for retirement, nothing in the bank, lives in assisted housing because she can't hold onto a job. In her case, part of the problem is that she wants to catch up to her twin (the most successful of the 3 of us) and to me (12 years her senior). And sadly, she's not very likeable because of it. And of course, we sound too harsh because we're trying to have her face reality. I wish she could enjoy her life because watching her repeatedly fail chasing someone else's dream is very painful to watch.