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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Bill Gates thinks everyone should read his “favorite book on AI,” one that predicts artificial intelligence will change what most jobs look like — across nearly every industry — within the next five years.

The book is called “The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century’s Greatest Dilemma.” Published in 2023, it was written by AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman, who co-founded the research lab DeepMind. He sold it to Google in 2014 and now serves as CEO of Microsoft AI.

“It’s the book I recommend more than any other on AI — to heads of state, business leaders, and anyone else who asks — because it offers something rare: a clear-eyed view of both the extraordinary opportunities and genuine risks ahead,” Gates wrote in a blog post last month.

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In the book, Suleyman predicted that rapid advances in AI development will completely change the way nearly every industry operates. He cited a 2023 study from consulting group McKinsey, which estimated roughly half of all “work activities” will become automated, starting as soon as 2030.

The ramifications of AI “will be hugely destabilizing for hundreds of millions who will, at the very least, need to re-skill and transition to new types of work,” Suleyman wrote. More than 400 million global workers could need to transition to new jobs or roles, according to McKinsey.

AI will help employees be more efficient — as in some cases it already does — but only at first, Suleyman wrote.

“These tools will only temporarily augment human intelligence,” he wrote. “They will make us smarter and more efficient for a time, and will unlock enormous amounts of economic growth, but they are fundamentally labor replacing.”

From physical manufacturing to “cognitive labor,” the AI revolution is set to touch basically every industry, Suleyman wrote.

There will eventually be “few areas” where humans can outperform machines. AI will quickly outpace human workers at office tasks like administration, customer service and content creation, according to Suleyman.

The increased input will likely result in two realities, he wrote. Employers will create millions of new jobs in response to economic growth. But not all of that work will go to humans, Suleyman notes: Employers will still opt for the “abundance of ultra-low-cost equivalents” whenever possible.

Some positions are and will be more difficult for AI to replicate. Those include skilled trades like plumbers and electricians, as well as white collar roles that rely heavily on social skills, critical thinking, and creativity.

Still, nearly everyone will likely need to upskill — and learn how to incorporate this kind of technology into their current jobs — as AI services become more prevalent in every industry over the next several years. Many others will need to transition into entirely new careers, Suleyman wrote.

That shift is already underway. A 2023 EY survey found that 41% of U.S. companies polled were implementing plans for training employees to work with AI products.

Basic AI skills — like prompt engineering, machine learning and data literacy — are a key hiring factor for nearly 70% of employers, according to a March 2024 Slack Workforce Lab survey of more than 10,000 professionals.

Some experts suggest the economic benefits of AI will create enough new jobs to outweigh those lost.

Artificial intelligence will create 78 million more positions than it eliminates by 2030, and the future of work will revolve around collaboration between humans and machines, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 predicted earlier this month.

But even AI optimists agree that huge changes in how people work are likely to result in a period of dramatic transition. New jobs enabled by AI’s advances won’t come soon enough to rescue large portions of the global workforce, Suleyman predicted in his book.

AI will “eliminate a lot of current jobs, [and] there will be classes of jobs that totally go away,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a May 2024 discussion with MIT President Sally Kornbluth.

Both Suleyman and Gates remain optimistic overall about AI’s potential to change people’s lives for the better.

If workers and leaders prepare for massive changes, everyone should be able to enjoy benefits from “breakthrough treatments for deadly diseases, innovative solutions for climate change, and high-quality education for everyone,” Gates wrote last month.

To achieve that best-case scenario, humans need to embrace AI by learning to work with new technologies as they’re implemented in their daily lives and careers, Suleyman argued.

That could start with exploring free online AI services, like ChatGPT or other AI-powered large language models. More advanced options include taking online courses to learn AI skills like prompt engineering.

“This is a monumental challenge whose outcome will, without hyperbole, determine the quality and nature of day-to-day life in this century and beyond,” wrote Suleyman.

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Since co-founding Hello Alice, a platform that helps entrepreneurs gain access to funding and education, more than seven years ago, Elizabeth Gore has had occasion to hire and interview hundreds of people, she says.

The platform has helped 1.5 million entrepreneurs and contributed $52 million in grants, says Gore, who was also the entrepreneur in residence at both the United Nations and Dell. She’s long been helping entrepreneurs in the U.S. and worldwide build their businesses and find success.

When it comes to hiring, Gore has one question she likes to ask: “What do you think we’re doing wrong at our company?” she says.

Here’s why.

For Gore, it’s important to find people who are thinking big picture about Hello Alice’s success down the line.

“How are you going to push our company goals?” She says as an example of what she considers. “What innovation are they bringing to the table?” Asking what Hello Alice is doing “wrong” is a way to see if a candidate has actively thought about problem solving and how to move the company forward.

It’s also a way to see how prepared they are and what kind of work ethic they have. “It’ll show they’ve done their homework” in learning about the company they theoretically want to work for, she says.

Finally, startups sometimes have to pivot quickly to meet the needs of their new clients. The question helps to show that candidates “can think on their feet,” she says.

For Gore, this question is also a way to gauge a candidate’s ability to be respectful. “How you deliver that answer is as important as what you deliver,” she says.

It would be easy to frame the answer as, “well, you suck at these five things,” she says. But that’s a pretty mean and condescending way to give constructive criticism. And it wouldn’t make for a positive work environment.

Instead, she looks for people who frame their answer saying something like, “here’s a growth area that I would recommend,” she says. They’re not talking down to her as they try to help the company improve.

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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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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].”

Want to up your AI skills and be more productive? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Use AI to Be More Successful at Work. Expert instructors will teach you how to get started, practical uses, tips for effective prompt-writing, and mistakes to avoid. Sign up now and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $67 (+ taxes and fees) through February 11, 2025.