Raising a child in today’s fast-paced, achievement-driven world is no small feat. While many parents focus on grades and extracurriculars, one of the most overlooked skills is emotional intelligence.

This doesn’t just help kids excel socially; it helps them grow into resilient, empathetic, and successful adults who can navigate challenges with confidence, foster meaningful relationships, and lead fulfilling lives.

So, what do parents who raise emotionally intelligent kids do differently? After years of studying over 200 parent-child relationships — and from practicing healthy habits with my own child — I’ve uncovered seven powerful strategies that these parents embraced early on.

They gave their child space to process their feelings and trust their inner voice. When their child was upset, they sat quietly beside them, offering comfort without words. Embracing silence can help children better navigate and reflect on their emotions.

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By verbally sharing feelings — like “I’m frustrated” or “I’m happy” — they taught their children emotional awareness and gave them words to express themselves. This helped their children see emotions as normal and share them openly rather than suppressing them.

They showed their child that mistakes are part of life and taking responsibility is a strength. Apologizing built trust and showed respect, making their child feel valued. It also modeled empathy and taught them how to repair relationships.

This might sound unconventional, but they knew kindness and respect can’t be forced. Instead, they modeled these behaviors, trusting their child to learn by example. If their child forgot to say thank you, the parent said it for them, confident the lesson would stick over time.

This takes a lot of bravery! But as a parenting coach, I’ve never told my 6-year-old to say please or thank you. Now he says it all the time on his own — because he hears me say it.

They took their child’s concerns seriously, whether it was a lost toy or trouble with a friend. By validating their feelings, they showed their child that emotions matter. This fostered self-worth, emotional safety, and respect for their experiences.

The best way to teach decision-making is to encourage children to make their own decisions. Instead of fixing problems, they asked, “What do you think we should do?” This helped boost critical thinking, confidence, and independence.

They let their child get bored, which helped them become comfortable with stillness. This built creativity, self-regulation and problem-solving skills. Their child learned to enjoy their own company and find joy in simple moments, like staring out the car window instead of needing a screen.

• Modeling the behaviors you want to see: Express your emotions openly, apologize when you make mistakes, and show kindness and empathy in your interactions.
• Validate your child’s feelings, no matter how small they may seem, and give them the space to process those emotions without rushing to fix or dismiss them. 
• Encourage problem-solving by asking open-ended questions instead of providing all the answers.
• Let them experience moments of stillness or boredom to build creativity and self-regulation.

Most importantly, focus on building a relationship rooted in respect and trust — because emotional intelligence starts with feeling safe, valued, and understood.

Reem Raouda is a certified conscious parenting coach, mother, and creator of BOUND — the first and only parent-child connection journal designed to nurture emotional intelligence and self-worth in children. She has transformed hundreds of families through her courses, coaching and tools. Follow her on Instagram. 

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For the second year in a row, Buffalo, New York, has been dubbed the “hottest” real estate market out of the 50 most populous U.S. cities, according to online brokerage Zillow.

Zillow’s “hottest” housing markets for 2025 are those with the strongest growth in home values and buyer demand. Rankings consider forecasted price increases, how quickly homes sell, inventory shortages, rising rents and local job and population growth, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and the company’s own listing data.

The places that ranked the hottest tend to be medium-sized cities with lower-than-average home prices, suggesting that buyers are seeking out cheaper homes amid rising prices.

While prices are increasing in Buffalo, they remain relatively affordable, with an average home value of $223,812 — well below the U.S. average of $356,585, according to Zillow’s latest data.

Aside from Buffalo, Indianapolis, Indiana; Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut; and Philadelphia round out the top five hottest markets.

Buffalo’s affordability is a major reason for its top ranking, but other factors also play a role.

The city’s job growth has steadily outpaced new construction, with over two jobs created for every home built since the pandemic, according to the study. This mismatch has increased competition and pushed home prices higher.

“New jobs often mean new residents, which raises competition and drives up prices unless builders can match the additional demand,” Zillow says in its report. Buffalo exemplifies this trend, with demand continuing to outstrip supply.

While the U.S. housing market is expected to grow more slowly in 2025, the region’s strong economy combined with a tight inventory of homes has kept the city at the top of Zillow’s rankings.

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If you want to land a new job this year, you’re far from alone. 

More than half (58%) of workers worldwide plan to look for a new job this year, according to new research from LinkedIn. In the U.S., the number of applicants per open job on LinkedIn has jumped from around 1.5 in 2022 to 2.5 as of fall 2024. 

Jobseekers might see fewer openings — and more competition for roles — than in previous years, but the search should be “far less painful” than it was in 2024, Bert Bean, CEO of the staffing firm Insight Global, tells CNBC Make It.

Business leaders plan to ramp up hiring after last year’s uncertainties over politics, AI and inflation, among other concerns, the Wall Street Journal reports. 

Bean says his company is planning to hire twice as many recruiters this year as it did in 2024.

Even if you don’t work in HR or recruiting, hiring for those positions is a strong bellwether for the white-collar economy. 

“If companies are hiring there, they’re usually preparing to hire in other departments as well,” says Bean. “We’re still holding our breath a bit, but I think this is the most optimistic business leaders have felt in the past two and a half years.”

More than 75% of CEOs expect the global economy to improve in the first half of this year, partly because they anticipate lower taxes and fewer regulations under the incoming Trump administration, according to a recent survey of more than 300 public company CEOs by advisory firm Teneo.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. employers intend to hire for permanent roles in the next six months, staffing and consulting firm Robert Half reports. This is a notable increase from mid-2024, when only half of companies reported similar hiring plans.

Although hiring will start to pick up in 2025, some industries offer stronger prospects for job seekers than others. Bean encourages candidates to target roles in health care, engineering and finance, as well as oil and gas. 

Employers in these fields are increasing their headcounts for different reasons. 

Optimism among oil and natural gas executives for sector growth is at its highest level in more than five years, mostly bolstered by incoming President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to boost oil and gas exports in the U.S., according to recent research by risk management consultancy DNV. Anticipating a busy year ahead, Bean points out, employers in this field are hiring more. 

Health-care employers are hiring for different reasons. There’s been a “strong, consistent appetite for talent” in this field since the start of the pandemic, Bean explains, party due to high levels of burnout and turnover in the health-care workforce. 

Plus, faced with an aging population and a slew of new, highly contagious diseases, “health-care providers, like large hospital systems, are hiring like crazy for all kinds of skills, especially for nurses, given the nursing shortage we’re facing in the U.S.,” Bean notes. 

Tech and finance companies will ratchet up hiring in 2025 for a much simpler reason, Bean adds: to counteract the layoffs and conservative hiring that defined these two industries in 2023 and 2024. 

“The threat of a recession spooked everyone, and then that recession never came,” says Bean. “So just as we talked ourselves into a recession, I think we’re talking ourselves out [of it].”

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A parent’s job isn’t to shield their child from life’s challenges, but to guide them through — offering support and tools to help them thrive in tough times. 

As a child life specialist and therapist, I’ve worked with thousands of children and families facing illness, trauma, grief, and loss. I’ve observed the words and actions that reveal a child is learning to cope effectively with life’s inevitable difficulties.

It isn’t about staying calm or avoiding tears. It’s about using strategies and skills to manage, tolerate, and reduce stress when it arises. That’s why children who cope well tend to have high emotional intelligence. They’re good at identifying their feelings and using positive strategies to manage their emotions.

Listen up for these six things you might hear kids with high emotional intelligence say:

Children with high emotional intelligence likely have trusted adults who’ve taught them that it’s okay to cry and that all feelings are okay. 

They know it’s natural to feel sad, angry, frustrated, or concerned in response to tough situations. By the same token, they’ve learned that it’s okay to have happy, joyful, or playful moments even during hard times. 

Children with healthy coping skills can recognize and manage their emotions. They know the warning signs — rapid thoughts, a fast heartbeat, tense muscles, or a knot in their stomach — and feel comfortable asking for what they need.

They might head to their “coping corner” to give themselves the time and space to use their pre-planned tools. For example, they might pick up a pinwheel or blow bubbles to help them with deep breathing. 

They likely learned these skills by watching their parents model self-regulation and open communication.

Emotionally intelligent children can recognize emotions in others, too. They understand that both adults and kids can have big feelings during difficult times, and that everyone copes differently. 

They might be the first to recognize that when their friend is upset, they may need space or a hug and that either is okay.

Empathy toward others comes naturally for them and they demonstrate ease and comfort listening to another’s perspective, respecting their needs, and working together. 

They understand that even when their parent is emotional, they can still be loved, cared for, and safe.

Children who’ve practiced setting boundaries for how they’d like to be treated tend to have high emotional intelligence. They can effectively communicate their needs, wants, and feelings while being sensitive to the other person. 

They might say, “I don’t like when you use my things without asking,” or, “I don’t like not knowing what to expect.” Or you might hear other statements that start with:

• “I’m not okay with…”
• “I don’t want to talk about…”
• “I don’t think it’s nice/funny when…” 

They’re also thoughtful about respecting their peers’ and siblings’ needs.

This phrase indicates that a child is self-reflective and free from shame. Instead of being fearful of making or admitting to mistakes, they’re able to talk about it and problem-solve to improve the situation or circumstance. 

They also recognize what they could have done better or differently because they know that mistakes are how we grow, learn, and develop through challenges.

Confidence and creativity in problem-solving are signs of emotional intelligence and healthy coping. Kids who’ve faced difficult situations have learned to work together with their peers and trusted adults to find reasonable solutions or paths forward.

They feel confident expressing their opinions, ideas, and qualities, while also listening and learning from others.

When kids navigate obstacles and consequences in a safe environment, they can develop decision-making skills and flexibility while also cultivating emotional awareness and self-esteem.

If your kids aren’t saying these things yet, don’t worry. Emotional intelligence and coping skills take time to develop and often begin with parenting.

Simply start by saying these things yourself. Kids learn best from what’s modeled for them.

Kelsey Mora is Certified Child Life Specialist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor who provides custom support, guidance, and resources to parents, families, and communities impacted by medical conditions, trauma, grief, and everyday life stress. She is a private practice owner, mom of two, the creator and author of The Method Workbooks, and the Chief Clinical Officer of the nonprofit organization Pickles Group.

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Building a business is not for the faint of heart, and many of those who dare to take the chance share one trait: self-confidence.

That’s according to hotel tycoon Ho Kwon Ping, 72, the founder and executive chairman of Banyan Group, a hospitality company with a portfolio of about 80 resorts and hotels in 22 countries.

The company, which is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange, generated about $328 million Singapore dollars (about $240 million) in revenue in 2023.

Ho is also the executive chairman of food and beverage manufacturing business Thai Wah Public Company as well as the founding chairman of Singapore Management University.

He attributes his success in part to being headstrong since he was young.

“Headstrongness and self-confidence are related. If you’re not, to some extent, headstrong … then you’re going to be basically a risk-averse person,” Ho told CNBC Make It. “You need [to be] a bit headstrong if you want to be an entrepreneur. You also need a bit of self-confidence.”

But there is a fine line between confidence and hubris, and while the former is important for starting and running a business, the latter can be “a recipe for disaster,” Ho warns.

“My wife has said I’m the bloody most optimistic person she’s known, because I fail in everything [but] I still pick up and go on, so you need self-confidence. But, if you have too much of it, it becomes hubris. So you need to know where the line is drawn,” he said.

One common mistake with hubris is that it can cause companies or founders to “over-expand” or take on more risk than they should, but in business, conditions are not always favorable, he explained.

As an entrepreneur, “you always have to be prepared for the worst, because nobody’s going to help you when things are bad,” he added. Rather than thinking about how much money you can make when starting a new project or business, one should think about how much they can afford to lose, he said.

“Never get caught by hubris into thinking you are great,” he said. “The saying I use … is create your own fantastic PR, but don’t ever believe a word of it.”

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