There are endless ways to approach parenting. Many parents choose “authoritative parenting,” a widely respected style that balances firm boundaries with nurture and support. Others lean into “authoritarian parenting,” a stricter model that emphasizes rules and consequences.

More recently, I’ve seen lots of “gentle parenting,” which prioritizes empathy and emotional validation.

But what if raising successful kids isn’t about being strict or soft? What if the answer is to create a safe place? After years of studying over 200 parent-child relationships, and from practicing healthy habits with my own child, I’ve seen firsthand what helps kids thrive … and what quietly shuts them down.

That’s why I’ve developed a new parenting framework — one that I believe works better than the rest — rooted in what kids need most but rarely receive: emotional safety.

With emotionally safe parenting, the goal is to be deeply attuned to your child’s emotional needs. I teach parents not just how to manage their children’s behaviors, but also to help them build emotional resilience, trust and connection through open and honest conversations.

Like authoritative parenting, emotionally safe parenting sets clear boundaries and encourages independence. What’s different is that it encourages parents to focus on emotional attunement, self-awareness and inner healing.

Some common traits of emotionally safe parents:

• They accept their child’s emotions without rushing to fix or dismiss them.
• They respond without shaming their child — avoiding phrases that belittle, guilt or embarrass — even if those were the responses they grew up with.
• They view “bad” behavior (i.e., screaming, yelling back, hitting another sibling) as stress signals, not defiance.
• They take responsibility after conflicts by apologizing and reconnecting, rather than punishing or withdrawing.
• They do the internal work — through journaling, therapy, or mindfulness — not to stay calm in the moment, but to become less reactive in the first place.
• They create an environment where their child feels safe expressing big emotions, asking questions and showing up as their full, authentic self.
• They embrace the whole child, showing consistent acceptance of both easy and difficult traits, not just the “well-behaved” version.
• They lead with calm, steady authority — holding boundaries without fear, while welcoming even the biggest emotions with compassion and clarity.

Emotional safety is the missing piece in so many homes — not because parents don’t care, but because most were never taught how to create a steady, safe place during emotional storms.

Here’s how to practice emotionally safe parenting:

1. Do the inner work first

Emotionally safe parenting begins with the adult, not the child. Get into the habit of reflecting on how your own childhood and emotional triggers shape their reactions today.

• When you’re in the heat of the moment, bring awareness to what you’re feeling — not to control it, but to understand it.
• Before correcting your child, ask yourself: “What part of me feels threatened right now?”
• If you notice yourself repeating something your parents said, consider: “Is this how I want to show up for my child?”

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2. See behavior as a signal, not a threat

Instead of viewing misbehavior as disrespect, emotionally safe parents see it as communication — a request for support, not punishment.

• If a child slams a door, see it as “they might feel overwhelmed,” rather than “they’re being rude.”
• Ask, “What is their behavior trying to tell me?” instead of, “How do I stop this?”
• Respond with curiosity instead of jumping to consequences, asking things like, “Can you help me understand what happened?” or, “What were you feeling when that happened?”

3. Set boundaries with empathy, not control

Limits are necessary, but you don’t need to set them with fear or shame. Emotionally safe parents hold firm boundaries while staying emotionally connected.

They might say things like:

• To stay consistent while still offering empathy: “I understand you’re upset, but the answer is still no.”
• To offer support, not just corrections: “This is hard. I’m here to help you figure it out.”
• To validate feelings without changing the limit: “You’re frustrated this isn’t going your way.”

 4. Prevent shame from taking place

Emotionally safe parenting isn’t about being perfect — it’s about modeling what healthy repair looks like. Instead of blaming or withdrawing, reconnect after hard moments and show your child that conflict doesn’t have to lead to shame or disconnection.

This could look like:

• Owning your part and not blaming your child for their reaction: “I shouldn’t have yelled. That wasn’t okay, and I’m sorry.”
• Validating feelings even during correction: “It’s okay to feel angry, but we need to find a safer way to show it than hitting.”
• Restoring connection before problem-solving: “Let’s take a few deep breaths together, then we can talk about what happened.”

The way you speak to your child becomes how they speak to themselves. Emotionally safe parents are mindful that their tone, words and reactions shape how their child sees themselves, especially in hard moments.

I always try to use a calm, respectful tone with my child, even when setting limits. And I let him know that his feelings are valid: “It’s okay to be upset,” or, “I’d feel that way, too.” Most importantly, I want him to know that I’ll always be there for him: “Even when things get hard, I’m still here.”

Remember, you want to give your child something deeper than discipline: the sense that they are safe, supported and unconditionally loved. I always tell parents that the child who feels emotionally safe grows up to be the adult who can regulate their emotions, build healthy relationships, trust themselves and live with confidence.

Reem Raouda is a leading voice in conscious parenting and the creator of FOUNDATIONS — the transformative healing journal for parents ready to break cycles, do the inner work, and become the emotionally safe parent their child needs. She is widely recognized for her groundbreaking work in children’s emotional safety and strengthening the parent-child bond. Follow her on Instagram.

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If you work full-time, you already know how much time and effort it takes to master work-life balance. Add to that a relationship, and it becomes even harder.

As a psychologist who studies couples — and who has a working wife — I’ve faced these challenges firsthand. Thankfully, my job as both a researcher and husband has taught me how important it is to be intentional about how my wife and I spend our time, specifically on weekends.

Here’s how people in the happiest, most successful relationships spend their free time:

A couple who spends a lot of time together, but is constantly distracted by texts, emails or social media, probably isn’t as happy as a couple who spends less time together, but without their phones.

That’s why carving out one-on-one time without any interference from technology is so important. And how you spend that time is actually irrelevant. It doesn’t need to be extravagant or planned down to the minute. What matters is presence.

It could be a quiet morning coffee where you exchange unfiltered thoughts, a slow walk to fill the silence, or a good old wining-and-dining — as long as the phones and laptops are put away.

After a draining week of work, it’s normal and even healthy to crave solitude. But it can be hard to choose between “me time” and “we time.”

Luckily, there’s a way to satiate the need for both alone time and bonding simultaneously. “Parallel play,” a concept derived from child psychology, is when two people engage in their preferred activity separately, but alongside each other.

For couples, this might look like one partner reading on the couch, while the other plays their favorite video game next to them. They might not be engaging directly with one another, but they’re still intentionally sharing space and de-stressing with an activity they each enjoy.

It’s basically a way of saying: “I love you, but I also need to love me for an hour or two. Let’s do it together.” 

Relationships thrive on ritual. Coming home to your partner and knowing that the weekend will bring something familiar — something reliably yours — can be comforting.

In fact, research shows that rituals can help couples organize their lives in a way that allows for both change and stability to coexist. Individuals can merge into a shared identity that feels distinct from either person alone. You can ground yourselves together, no matter what chaos surrounds you.

What those rituals look like is completely up to you. Don’t shy away from cheesy. It could be Sunday morning pancakes, or board game night with a goofy scoreboard on the fridge. If you’re more practical, maybe it’s a weekly sit-down over a glass of wine to plan out the week, or tackling one nagging chore together with your shared playlist in the background. 

Studies show that couples who have a satisfying sex life are more likely to be happier in their relationships.

But with endless chores and errands, weekends can start to feel like a second workweek — with little time left over for intimacy. Sex quickly starts to feel like less of a priority.

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That’s why structured intimacy can be a good thing. Many people think it can diminish spontaneity, but if anything, it actually removes the mental fatigue of trying to make intimacy happen.

It’s also a great way for couples to engage without distraction, all while combating the emotional strain of work. So, make it intentional and set a time.

Playfulness, according to research, is one of the most reliable tools couples can use to strengthen their relationship. It can boost relationship satisfaction, ease conflict and break up the sense of monotony that partners can start to resent. 

During the week, we unknowingly train ourselves to look for things to stress over. But on weekends, we need to take those goggles off. The act of being silly — and being met with silliness in return — helps us reconnect with the childlike wonder we carry inside that gets buried beneath our responsibilities. 

So, look for joy on purpose. Maybe you pull out a trivia game with nonsense rules or challenge each other to a dance battle.

There’s no right or wrong way to be playful, and chances are, you already know how to make your partner laugh. You just have to remember to do it.

Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.

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In 2019, Sophie Hilaire Goldie was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, traveling constantly and barely living in her New York City apartment.

That summer, the former captain in the U.S. Army climbed Mount Everest, an experience that she says changed the course of her life.

“When I did that, I had this epiphany that I wanted to spend more time in nature and Central Park to me wasn’t really the level of nature I needed,” Hilaire Goldie tells CNBC Make It.

“On the plane ride home, I knew I couldn’t go back to life in New York,” she says. “That moment of knowing launched the next chapter — van life, homesteading, and loving myself. The mountain did transform me. She gave me direction and that’s been the real gift.”

When Hilaire Goldie returned to NYC, she didn’t renew her lease. But then the covid-19 pandemic hit and she found herself without a home and without a clue of where she wanted to head to next.

“I thought, ‘I’m not ready to pay rent or buy a house, so why don’t I move into a sprinter van and continue to visit different places and see where I want to land?’” Hilaire Goldie says.

“I always knew I wanted to get a van just to have, but this kind of felt like a no-regrets move because I thought, ‘Why don’t I just get it now, so I don’t have to pay rent anywhere and I can keep on traveling?’ I didn’t know how long the pandemic was going to last.”

Hilaire Goldie started searching and found a van on Craigslist for $29,900, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Her dad picked it up for her in Oregon and the two met up in Colorado, where Hilaire Goldie’s life on the road began.

The van had already been partially built out but still needed a lot of work. Hilaire Goldie added a bedroom area, a kitchen, IKEA cabinets, solar panels, and a desk. She did most of the work herself and estimates she spent about $18,500 in renovations.

When Hilaire Goldie first lived in the van, she was still working as a consultant, so her daily life consisted of waking up to an alarm and working on her computer until the end of the day. She eventually quit her job and started really enjoying life in the van.

“I really enjoyed that period of life where nobody knew who I was and nobody had any expectations of me, which for me, was a big difference in how I was able to move through the world,” she says. “I didn’t feel like I ever needed to be on, I could just be van life Sophie, and people didn’t know I’d only been living in a van for a few years.”

Hilaire Goldie traveled all over the U.S., Mexico, and Canada and says the biggest lesson she learned from all these travels was not to plan anything.

“I realized that I can’t make plans that are better than what God has in store for me. I think I learned that lesson so many times in the van. Every time things didn’t go my way, I eventually learned to let it go. Don’t ruminate over something that was taken,” Hilaire Goldie says. “Whatever new path I was on, I just knew it was taking me somewhere even better than I could have come up with on my own.”

“I learned I needed to let go of control and it was a different way of traveling. Before, when I had a four-day weekend in the army or was working at McKinsey, I was scheduling every single second, but this was a lot more free flowing. I always found out that when I didn’t script things, they turned out even better.”

One of the fondest memories Hilaire Goldie has of living in the van was when she took a trip to Montana. She intended to find a place with no cellphone reception and learn how to sleep again after spending many sleepless nights working as a consultant.

“It was so simple, but it was so powerful, so having my little house with me throughout felt like I could not have planned anything better. I had my home, but was still in a very beautiful place,” she says.

After two years in the van, Hilaire Goldie realized she was ready to put down some roots.

“I just wanted a place where I could see a tree through four seasons and didn’t like the constant movement. It was a phase in my life that was exciting and it just got to the point where I was ready for a new phase,” she says.

Now, Hilaire Goldie lives on a 37.5-acre homestead she bought with her now husband, but still uses the van every day. It has essentially become a place to store supplies for their property, including chicken feed, hay, soil and more.

Hilaire Goldie has no plans to stop using the van — she and her husband even lived in it for a few months on their honeymoon.

“I will never sell this van. How could I sell the temple that I built? When the day comes, the van will become a little cabin on the property,” she says.

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U.S. travel to Portugal has boomed in recent years, and it’s now the No. 1 country where Americans are hoping to move abroad.

That’s according to a survey of 116,363 Americans who looked into leaving the U.S. throughout 2024 administered by Expatsi, a company that provides relocation tours and expat resources.

Visitors to Expatsi’s website are invited to complete a 20-question assessment to see which country might suit them best, based on their lifestyle preferences (like weather and local policy), future plans (like studying or working), financial means and other factors.

Survey-takers are asked about the countries they’re most interested in learning more about. The top-requested countries include:

1. Portugal
2. Spain
3. UK
4. Canada
5. Italy
6. Ireland
7. France
8. Mexico
9. New Zealand
10. Costa Rica

Portugal is also the No. 1 most recommended country to survey-takers based on the preferences they select in the assessment, followed by France, Spain, Greece and Switzerland.

The top reason people give for wanting to move out of the U.S. is for adventure, enrichment and growth, according to the survey. Some 56% of respondents say the U.S. is too conservative, while 53% feel the country is too divided. Roughly half of the expat-curious say they want to move for more or different freedoms, and to avoid the threat of gun violence; 41% say they hope to save money while living abroad.

Two-thirds of Expatsi’s test-takers say they want to leave the U.S. by 2026, with 12% saying they hope to move in the next six months. Thirty percent hope to retire abroad, 18% are seeking a digital nomad visa, and 17% say they will move with a skilled worker visa.

More Americans have considered moving abroad since the 2024 presidential elections.

A CNBC analysis of U.S. Google search data showed a spike in users searching for terms related to “how to move to X country” beginning in June 2024. Site traffic to Expatsi spiked to nearly 51,000 visitors in the month of November, up from roughly 8,000 in October, following President Donald Trump’s re-election.

Interest in Expatsi’s resources tend to rise after contentious political events, says Jen Barnett, who co-founded the company with her husband Brett Andrews in 2022 and saw a first wave of interest after the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned that summer.

Now, their business is booming.

Expatsi’s revenue is up 19,632% year-over-year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, as the company sold a growing suite of products including relocation scouting trips, one-on-one consultations and tickets to events like a conference in San Antonio starting Friday and running through the weekend, where over 300 guests will hear from speakers to learn about the process of moving abroad: from obtaining a visa and moving your finances overseas, to choosing the right neighborhood and finding a job as a foreigner.

The company helped more than 200 people go on relocation tours in 2024, Barnett tells CNBC Make It. “About 5% are fully moved, and another 25% are in the paperwork stage, meaning they’ve filed visa applications or have appointments to file,” she says.

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As a pediatrician, I spend a lot of time engaging with families about nutrition. My philosophy is simple: If you empower a child to embrace healthy eating habits early on, they are more likely to carry these positive behaviors into adulthood. 

Early intervention can be transformative and help substantially reduce their long-term risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer.

Many parents already know the importance of feeding kids vegetables and limiting added sugar. We often discuss “eating the rainbow,” emphasizing the need for a diverse range of colorful fruits and vegetables. Parents frequently prioritize dark leafy greens, antioxidant-rich blueberries and healthy-fat-packed avocados. 

However, there’s one nutritional powerhouse that often gets overlooked: beans. Here’s why I wish more parents fed this underrated superfood to their kids. 

Beans, in all their varied forms, are an exceptional source of plant-based protein. Many bean varieties contain all the essential amino acids that are vital for supporting a child’s energy, growth and active lifestyle. 

Beans are also loaded with both soluble and insoluble fiber, a duo that’s a game-changer for digestive health. Insoluble fiber promotes regular bowel movements, preventing constipation and keeping things moving smoothly. Soluble fiber contributes to that feeling of fullness and satiety after a meal, which can be helpful in managing appetite and preventing overeating. 

Soluble fiber also plays a role in lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels, and helps to stabilize blood sugar fluctuations after meals, preventing those dreaded energy crashes.

Beans are naturally fortified with an impressive array of essential vitamins and minerals. 

They are also a fantastic source of folate, which is vital for cell growth and development, as well as iron, which is crucial for carrying oxygen throughout the body. 

Plus, they’re packed with magnesium for nerve and muscle function, and a range of B vitamins that support energy production and brain health.

Soybeans in particular have a good amount of healthy fats in them, like omega 3 and omega 6 fats that support heart and brain health. 

Beyond their nutritional profile, beans offer practical advantages. They are very affordable, making them accessible to families on any budget. Their long shelf life means you can stock up and always have a healthy meal option on hand. 

Additionally, incorporating beans into our diets is an environmentally-friendly choice. They have a lower carbon footprint compared to many animal protein sources, contributing to a more sustainable food system.

Of course, all the nutritional knowledge in the world won’t make a difference if kids refuse to eat what’s offered. This is where the magic of beans truly shines. 

I’ve found that many children genuinely enjoy the taste and texture of beans, and they are remarkably easy to prepare in various kid-friendly ways.

For younger children or more picky eaters, start with something simple and approachable, like steaming edamame (young soybeans) or adding black beans to a cheesy quesadilla. I’ve even found success with black bean-based brownies, a surprisingly delicious and nutritious treat. 

For more adventurous eaters, consider introducing lentil soups, flavorful bean chili or stews. The versatility of beans makes them easy to incorporate into a wide range of dishes, ensuring there’s a bean recipe out there for everyone.

Dr. Kelly Fradin is the Chair of Pediatrics at the Atria Health and Research Institute and the mother of two children. She is the author of ”Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids through Diagnoses, Differences and Mental Health Challenges.” To learn more, you can find Dr. Fradin on Instagram @adviceigivemyfriends.

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