When a child throws a full-blown tantrum over a minor setback, you might be tempted to respond with tough love.

But the key to raising kids who grow up to be mentally strong, resilient adults is to treat them with compassion, rather than chastising them for over-reacting, according to child psychologist Becky Kennedy. 

“It’s almost like we view compassion as dangerous,” Kennedy, who has a PhD in clinical psychology from Columbia University, said on an April 22 episode of her parenting podcast “Good Inside.” “When [kids] are having a big reaction to something we deem to be a small, childish thing, we think that compassion is going to lead to kids being soft, being snowflakes.”

Kennedy “thought these things myself” about her own three children when they were toddlers, she said. But when a young child’s disappointment leads to a tantrum, a parent’s criticism can actually make the overreaction worse, she said: “If I add my criticism, my invalidation, the feeling just gets bigger. It’s so counterproductive.”

Instead, Kennedy recommended acknowledging your child’s disappointment with calm, supportive statements like, ”‘It makes sense. You’re upset … That is real. And I know you’re going to get through it.’”

Validating language can help kids feel understood, especially when they’re struggling or upset. You can even use it to discourage future emotional meltdowns: “Parents can use phrases like: ”‘It’s OK to feel upset, but not OK to act this way,’” psychotherapist Amy Morin wrote for CNBC Make It in December.

“It shows them that feelings like anger or sadness are normal, but it’s not OK to disrupt or hurt others,” Morin added, noting that parents can teach kids alternative ways of coping with big feelings, like taking deep breaths or naming their emotions. “Controlling how emotions are expressed is a key skill they’ll need for life’s inevitable ups and downs.”

Mentally resilient adults tend to have self-compassion. Parents can help establish that skill from an early age, said Kennedy.

“A parent’s voice becomes a child’s self-talk,” Kennedy said. If parents invalidate or criticize their child’s distress, that kid is more likely to react to a setback as an adult with self-criticism, rather than reflecting on what went wrong and trying to figure out the best way forward. 

″[That] is only going to make it more difficult for them to find their feet, find their confidence, find their self-trust, find their resilience, and actually move on and figure out what they want to do next,” said Kennedy.

Teaching your children how to show themselves compassion can help ensure that, as they age, they’ll be better equipped to handle setbacks without spiraling into negativity.

“Compassion is a huge part of self-regulation,” said Kennedy, adding: “When we berate ourselves, ironically, that makes us so much softer, because we’re not able to deal with the feeling [and] it lasts longer and gets even bigger.”

Self-compassion makes both children and adults more motivated to learn new things, and to change their behavior to avoid repeating past mistakes, according to research from psychologist and University of Texas at Austin associate professor Kristin Neff.

“Compassion after failure makes people more likely to persevere and try again as compared to those who self-criticize,” Kennedy said, referencing Neff’s research. “Also, self-compassion helps people take responsibility for mistakes without spiraling into shame. That’s huge.”

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Bill Gates has issued some pretty big warnings in recent years — about the next pandemic or avoiding a “climate disaster” — but the billionaire says he’s actually very optimistic about the future.

“You can accuse me of being by nature an optimistic person,” Gates told The New York Times in an interview that published on Thursday. “But I just think I’m being realistic. I think it’s objective to say to you that things will be better in the next 20 years.”

Gates’ positive outlook comes at a precarious time of geopolitical instability: multiple global conflicts and a trade war that’s roiled markets around the world.

Gates himself recently lamented decisions by the U.S. and other world governments to slash tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid, writing in a Thursday blog post that “it’s unclear whether the world’s richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people.” He added that “no philanthropic organization … can make up the gulf in funding that’s emerging right now.”

Still, Gates is adamant that his “optimism hasn’t been shaken,” he told the Times. On Thursday, the Microsoft co-founder laid out “ambitious” plans to hand out $200 billion in aid through the Gates Foundation over the next two decades, and then close the foundation down.

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With those funds, he hopes to reduce preventable deaths of mothers and children around the world, eradicate diseases like polio, malaria, measles and Guinea-worm disease, and help “hundreds of millions of people break free from poverty” by funding advances in education and agriculture in African nations, he wrote in his blog post.

“The truth is, there have never been more opportunities to help people live healthier, more prosperous lives,” wrote Gates. “Advances in technology are happening faster than ever, especially with artificial intelligence on the rise.”

Gates wishes the world didn’t have to rely on AI advancements as a sort of “magic wand” — the billionaire has frequently touted the tech’s potential to improve global health and education — but the technology will boost his foundation’s ability to reach its goals by 2045, he told the Times.

Gates’ optimism isn’t solely reliant on AI.

Since 1990, the world’s child mortality rate has been more than cut in half, thanks to broader access to advanced medical care, vaccinations and improved nutrition, according to the World Health Organization. 

Even after accounting for multiple countries cutting their foreign aid budgets in recent months, new medical advances — from vaccines to nutritional education initiatives — could make inroads toward cutting the child mortality rate in half yet again, Gates wrote in his blog. The same goes for working toward eradicating diseases like malaria and slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS, he added.

Gates also wrote that he’s hopeful other billionaires will increase “the pace and scale of their giving,” pointing to younger generations of wealthy philanthropists who can pick up the mantle once the Gates Foundation shuts down.

Among them: Meta co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz, who both signed The Giving Pledge, in which they each publicly promised to give away the bulk of their wealth during their lifetimes. MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, has become a prominent philanthropist in recent years, giving over $19 billion to hundreds of different organizations since 2019.

“Even with all the challenges that the world faces, I’m optimistic about our ability to make progress — because each breakthrough is yet another chance to make someone’s life better,” Gates wrote.

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Seven years ago, Tavis Malcolm and his wife went on a family camping trip and couldn’t find a sleeping bag suitable for their newborn son.

Instead, they layered pajamas, a snowsuit and a swaddle blanket to keep baby Morrison warm. It was an ‘aha’ moment for Malcolm, a New Mexico-native and former Eagle Scout who came from a family of business owners, he said on Friday’s episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank.”

In June 2018, Malcolm quit his marketing job. Six months later, he launched Morrison Outdoors, which sells sleeping bags for babies and toddlers, as well as a selection of products for adults. On the show, he asked the panel of investor judges for $300,000 in exchange for 10% equity in his business, which he and his wife launched in his garage.

“I told my wife, ‘Listen, I think that this could be something serious. I want to quit my job, I want to take our savings — which at the time was like $3,000 — and I want to commit myself to launching this product,’” Malcolm said.

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Between the company’s launch and the episode’s September 2024 filming, Morrison Outdoors generated $4.3 million in sales, said Malcolm. “Year-to-date this year, we’re at $850,000 [in revenue] and we’re looking at about $1.1 million [in projected 2024 revenue],” he added.

The company was barely profitable in 2023 due to Malcolm’s overconfidence with marketing, he explained: “I said, I’m going to blow out marketing on every channel at once. I’m going to go to these trade shows, I’m going to hire these people … I spent away our whole margin.”

His overspending was a valuable learning lesson for any business owner, said Mark Cuban.

“That is the best lesson to everybody watching. When you chase topline growth, you’re going to have to chase your profit margins because they’re leaving too,” Cuban said. “When your bottom line goes up, not only can you control your own destiny, but you can reinvest in your business and it makes you more attractive to investors like us.”

“So far, we’ve spent less than $15,000 on marketing this year to generate that $850,000 in sales,” Malcolm responded, adding that Morrison Outdoors was on track to end 2024 profitable. (The company didn’t immediately respond to CNBC Make It’s request for updated 2024 figures.)

The investors said they liked Malcolm’s dedication to his business, and appreciated Morrison Outdoors’ wide-ranging target audience — with some products meant for kids, and others meant for adults. Kevin O’Leary and Lori Greiner both said they liked the company’s adult sleeping bag, called the Mega Mo, which comes with pockets, sleeves and a bottom zipper to enable walking while wearing it.

“Mega Mo is a bigger market,” Kevin O’Leary said. “This would work.” “That’s so fabulous,” Lori Greiner added.

O’Leary, who “sleeps with a mint on my pillow every night,” said he wasn’t outdoorsy enough to make an offer. Greiner and Robert Herjavec also bowed out, leaving only Cuban and Barbara Corcoran — who partnered up to offer a total of $300,000 for a combined 20% equity stake in Morrison Outdoors. Malcolm quickly accepted their offer.

The deal fell apart after the show’s taping, Malcolm told KOAT Action 7 News on Friday.

“There’s a lot more that goes into an investment than just what you see on TV,” he said. “After the show aired, we worked with the Sharks, we did our due diligence for months and in the end. The deal didn’t go through, which was unfortunate, but we’re still incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to “Shark Tank.”

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In 2020, right in the thick of the pandemic, I decided to put a tiny home in my backyard. 

At the time, I was operating several short-term rentals in Atlanta, including rooms within my three-bedroom primary home. But Covid-19 made renting safely a challenge. I figured the best way to keep passive income flowing — and myself safe — was to move into a smaller structure and list my main home on Airbnb.

So I started designing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) — a self-contained structure on the same lot as a single-family or multifamily home. The 296-square-foot home was converted from a lofted shed and hooked up to my main home’s utilities. It cost about $35,000 to build, including the prefabricated structure, labor, and materials. 

As with many big ideas, things didn’t go as planned — and that turned out to be a blessing. Here are four ways I’ve used my ADU over the last five years: 

I finished building the tiny house in March 2021. After going over budget and falling behind schedule, I decided to list it as a short-term rental to recoup costs, charging between $89 and $129 per night. 

It quickly became one of the most popular units in my portfolio — thanks in part to my docuseries “Going Tiny,” which documented the entire build from sketch to rental.

Guests ranged from construction workers to couples and solo travelers looking for a more unique, personal experience than a hotel. It was rewarding to see people find joy in something I had envisioned and brought to life from scratch.

In 2022, I stepped away from Airbnb completely. As I shared more in my TEDx talk, “Why We Need to Rethink Housing Insecurity,” I felt torn, offering beautiful spaces to travelers while many locals lacked access to stable, long-term housing.

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So I shifted to mid- and long-term rentals, offering the ADU to grad students, travel nurses, and other professionals for about $1,300 a month. These were people who needed a home base near the city, but were often priced out of the market. 

During this phase, the ADU still generated income, but now it aligned with my values.

By early 2023, I was in a transitional season. I’d just ended a long-term relationship and I was craving solitude and a reset. That’s when I moved into the ADU myself.

For six months, I fully embraced tiny living in my own backyard, while renting out rooms in my main home to college students for a total of about $2,725 a month. It lowered my expenses and gave me a new appreciation for the space I’d once seen purely as an investment. 

It became a sanctuary — supporting both my finances and my healing from the breakup.

When my younger sister moved to Atlanta with her fiancé later that year, they were expecting their first child. I invited them to stay in the ADU, giving them a peaceful space to transition into parenthood without the pressure of paying high rent. They stayed rent-free the first few months, and then started contributing $1,200 a month.

It was the first time in nearly a decade that I’d lived in the same city as any of my family. Since leaving for college and moving to Atlanta solo, I had made friends and built community, but having my sister nearby was grounding in a way that nothing else had been. 

Our setup isn’t traditional, but it’s deeply fulfilling. We share meals, look out and show up for each other, and truly live in community. When I’m working long startup hours, it’s my sister making sure I eat. And in the quiet moments — late nights by the fire pit, spontaneous movie nights, or just checking in on each other — it feels like the best version of growing up together, but now as women building stability, sisterhood, and a sense of home side by side.

In 2024, our youngest sister moved to the city to attend Spelman College. Though she doesn’t live on the property, that makes two sisters, a nephew, a brother in law — who’s now like a brother to me — and a whole lot of joy and support in town.

Today, the ADU still houses my sister and her family. But more than that, it’s a symbol of what’s possible when we reimagine how we use the space we already have.

At a time when loneliness is a common problem and housing costs keep climbing, ADUs offer a powerful solution. They create flexibility, support multigenerational living, and can generate income when needed. 

I’ve seen firsthand what one small structure can do. And now, through my company Gather ADU, I help others do the same. Most of our builds so far have been in California. But just this month, we broke ground on our first ADU in Georgia for a close friend of mine who lives just a few blocks away. 

Five years ago, when I built my backyard tiny home, I had no idea it would lead to a business helping others create the same kind of space and community. But more than anything, I’ve learned ADUs aren’t just about housing — they’re about possibility, connection, and room to grow.

Precious Price is a TEDx speaker, real estate entrepreneur, and co-founder of Gather ADU, a startup helping homeowners and investors build backyard tiny homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to create more housing and maximize their property value. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

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I’ve always looked forward to Mother’s Day. I embrace it as a useful reminder to pause in the tumult of everyday life, to reflect lovingly and thankfully about my mother — and the mother figures in my life — and to tell them how important they are to me.

I’m fortunate enough to be both a mother and a daughter. In the past year, however, my relationships with my two daughters have changed. Now they’re both out of the house, and I’ve entered what many people call the “empty-nest stage.”

But I’ve decided to rename this transition as the “open-door stage.” An empty nest suggests abandonment and loss; an open door suggests new possibilities and the freedom to come and go — for my daughters, and also for my husband and me.

As we entered this family open-door phase, I wanted to impart some of the tried-and-true lessons that time and experience had taught me — usually the hard way.

It took me a while, but over time I eventually realized how useless it was to tell my daughters, “Look on the bright side!” “It’s not so bad!” “You’re not afraid of clowns!” I was trying to cheer them up, but they didn’t feel better — they felt worse.

Instead, they were comforted when I said things like, “It sounds like you got really rattled during the exam,” “That comment really hurt your feelings,” or “It’s hard to memorize the multiplication tables.”

After a while, I figured it out: We make people happier by acknowledging that they’re not feeling happy.

One parenting conundrum puzzled me for a long time. I love my daughters with all my heart, I don’t want them to change a bit — so why was I constantly pushing and prodding them to improve?

Finally, I understood: Love is unconditional, and love is demanding. Love accepts you just as you are, and love expects the best from you.

One frustrating aspect of happiness is that we can’t make people change. As a parent, however, I discovered that when I changed myself — when I got more sleep so I was less irritable, when I gave myself more time so I wasn’t rushing around, when I kept my sense of humor — my daughters became calmer and more cheerful.

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I was changing myself, and my daughters responded, and it became clear: We can’t make people change. But when we change, our relationships change — and so others may also change.

I learned one of my most important parenting lessons of all a few years ago, when my daughters were very young.

I remember struggling to articulate a strange paradox that I kept experiencing as a parent: One busy Saturday or a difficult week would stretch out endlessly, but second grade would pass in a flash.

I would lie in bed in the morning, overwhelmed by everything that had to happen before I got back into bed for the night — but Labor Day would come, then almost immediately it was Thanksgiving, then Fourth of July, then Labor Day again.

After many attempts, I managed to put into words how we, as parents, exist in two timelines: The days are long, but the years are short.

These are the lessons that have meant the most to me, as a parent.

Using Mother’s Day as a catalyst for reflection has given me a fresh perspective on the “Secrets of Adulthood” that I’ve learned from being a parent. I’m glad I found this new way to observe this annual holiday.

It’s helpful to have this precise reminder to reflect. After all, what can be done at any time is often done at no time.

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many books, including the bestseller ”The Happiness Project.” Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than 30 languages. She hosts the award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, where she explores practical solutions for living a happier life. Her new book, ”Secrets of Adulthood,” is out now.

Want a new career that’s higher-paying, more flexible or fulfilling? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Change Careers and Be Happier at Work. Expert instructors will teach you strategies to network successfully, revamp your resume and confidently transition into your dream career. Start today and use coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off $67 (+taxes and fees) through May 13, 2025.