Parents are constantly searching for ways to get their kids to listen. But a lot of us focus too much on trying to get them to obey in the moment, rather than building genuine long-term cooperation.

I’ve studied over 200 parent-child relationships, and I’m a mother myself. I’ve learned that kids listen best when they feel connected. A big part of that is emotional safety: knowing they are respected and have the freedom to express their feelings.

Here are six magic phrases that calm a child’s nervous system and make cooperation feel natural, which is the real secret to getting them to listen.

The moment kids feel doubted (“Did you really mean to do that?”), their defenses go up. They shift from connection into self-protection.

Belief defuses shame and creates safety. When a child feels safe, they can actually hear you.

Example:

Child: “I didn’t spill the juice on purpose!”

Parent: “I believe you. Let’s clean it up together.”

You’re addressing the behavior without getting into an argument.

The situation often turns into a standoff when there’s a parent just barking orders. But when kids help solve the problem, they’re more likely to stick to the solution.

Example:

Child refuses to clean up toys.

Parent: “I see you don’t want to clean everything now. Let’s figure this out together. What’s the first step?”

You’re still holding the boundary while preventing power struggles.

When kids are overwhelmed, they’re in survival mode and logic doesn’t land. Their nervous system is in fight-or-flight, and they need help regulating their emotions. This phrase validates their feelings and assures them they’re not alone, which helps them reset.

Example:

Preschooler has a meltdown when their tower of blocks fall. Instead of “Stop crying, you’re overreacting,” say: “You can feel this. I’m right here.”

You’re letting the wave of emotions pass until they’re ready to re-engage.

Before a child will listen to you, they need to feel heard. This simple shift of giving attention before demanding it dissolves resistance. When kids feel understood, they stop trying to push back.

Example:

Child: “I’m never playing with my brother again!”

Parent: “I’m listening. Tell me what’s going on.”

Now you’re uncovering the deeper hurt behind the anger, and that’s the part you can address to help repair both the relationship and the behavior.

Many meltdowns escalate because kids feel misunderstood or in conflict with the very person they need most. This phrase instantly shifts you from adversary to ally, lowering defenses and opening the door to problem-solving.

Example:

Child: “This homework is stupid! I’m not doing it.”

Parent: “I hear you. I’m on your side. Let’s find a way to make this easier.”

Knowing you’re there to help changes the tone entirely. They’ll be far more likely to meet you halfway.

Mistakes can trigger shame. But when kids hear this phrase, they learn that love isn’t conditional on performance or perfection.

Example:

Your child breaks a classmate’s project and calls you in tears.

Instead of lecturing, you say: “I’ve got you, no matter what. We’ll make it right together.”

That’s the difference between fear-based compliance and real accountability.  

I always tell parents that if their default is yelling or threatening, then no “magic phrase” will undo the deeper pattern. But when you regularly protect your child’s dignity, make them feel safe, and follow through on boundaries, listening becomes the natural outcome.

Reem Raouda is a leading voice in conscious parenting and the creator of FOUNDATIONS, a step-by-step guide that helps parents heal and become emotionally safe. She is widely recognized for her expertise in children’s emotional safety and for redefining what it means to raise emotionally healthy kids. Connect with her on Instagram.

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In 1991, Nadeem Bajwa immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. While attending college in Indiana, he worked a few jobs, including delivering pizza for restaurant chain Papa John’s, where he made $4.25 an hour.

Today, the 58-year-old has a fast food empire. Bajwa is now a major franchisee of Papa Johns in North America, with more than 270 locations across the country.

He is also the CEO of Bajco Group, which he co-founded with his two brothers, and holds a diverse portfolio of companies spanning construction, technology, accounting, his Papa Johns portfolio and more.

Bajwa’s path to success wasn’t an easy one. In his early twenties, he was the first in his family to move to the United States, where he encountered many challenges upon arrival.

“Coming to the U.S., actually, that was my first flight [ever.] I’d never flown before,” Bajwa said. “Just getting into the plane, it was a full flight coming here by myself, [there was] a lot of anxiety … but I was determined to make it.”

He said he experienced some culture shock and struggled with communication because he wasn’t fluent in English at the time. “Sometimes, when you are away from family, and you’re alone … it was very, very difficult,” Bajwa said.

To help fund his university expenses, Bajwa picked up some side gigs.

“My first summer, I did three jobs … washing dishes [during] breakfast time, and then delivering pizzas in the afternoon, and late night, working at Taco Bell,” Bajwa told CNBC Make It.

“I was living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and … I just started delivering for Papa John’s when they came in town and from there, just started loving it, and tips were good, so that helped,” he said.

Bajwa quickly moved up the ranks at Papa John’s. By the time he graduated from university in 1996, he had already transitioned from being a delivery driver to area manager. After graduating, Bajwa applied to a few corporate roles because that’s what he always expected to do after his studies.

“I applied for some jobs, and on back of my mind, I was sort of hoping that I don’t get a corporate job, but I wanted to try it because that was one of the … check marks I had to check,” he said. “I just did not want to have that regret that I never applied, because all of life, I thought I would go corporate sector.”

“But when I went to find a [corporate] job, I couldn’t get [a] job that would pay me … more than what I was already making [at Papa John’s],” Bajwa said. For that reason, he decided to stay in the pizza business, and ended up running multiple pizza stores before becoming a franchisee himself.

In July 2002, with the help of family support and bank loans, Bajwa opened his first Papa John’s store in East Liverpool, Ohio.

“I bought used equipment for very low price, and at that time, I built the store for half [of] what I would have [paid], because I did a lot of [the labor] myself,” he added. “My whole thought was to open with as little money as possible, and spend the money towards marketing.”

The cost for the buildout of his first store was about $150,000, he said.

Bajwa learned a few lessons early on, thanks to some key mistakes.

Before opening his first restaurant location, Bajwa focused heavily on getting the word out about the store’s grand opening.

“I did too much marketing, and the first day [that the store opened], half of the crew walked out because it was chaos,” said Bajwa. “Too many people showed up because I advertised too much, and I focused more on advertising than training people to make pizzas … Then I learned how important it is to be ready before [opening].”

Then, within six months of this first location opening, Bajwa saw that the store’s revenue was ahead of forecasts, so he quickly went on to open a few more locations.

“After two stores, I thought, no problem. We opened three more immediately after that, and guess what, I did not have [the best people] around me, and [then we] started struggling,” he said. So, he and his team had to take a step back and give it some time before trying to expand again.

“There was a time that we grew too fast and hit the pump. [In] 2008, [during the] economic meltdown … those were tough times,” he added. Ultimately, Bajwa said, he’s grateful for these early failures because they taught him all that he knows today.

Throughout his journey, Bajwa said, he learned the importance of self-reflection. “You have to be humble, because the day you start thinking you got it all, I believe your downfall will start.”

In 2024, Bajco Group signed an agreement with Papa Johns International to develop 50 new restaurants by 2028. Bajwa said his goal is to get to 500 restaurant locations. With the growth of his Papa Johns portfolio over the years, Bajwa has also built adjacent businesses.

“We’ve developed a call center, construction arm, offshore accounting setup, and technology arm to bring [efficiencies] to our Papa Johns portfolio, which now have become separate businesses & serve multiple clients within and outside the Papa Johns brand,” he said.

“I never dreamt of this growth. [I just focused on] doing my best … and learning from my mistakes … and the rest just came,” Bajwa said. “So everything started with delivery pizza. Can you believe that?”

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In Spike Lee’s highly anticipated film “Highest 2 Lowest,” Denzel Washington plays hip-hop mogul David King, who resides in an apartment befitting the character’s status.

According to the Robb Report, the opening scene of Lee’s film begins with Washington appearing on the balcony of a penthouse that is on sale for $17.5 million. It was initially listed for $19.5 million earlier this year.

The five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom apartment is 4,928 square feet and occupies the entire 32nd floor of the Olympia Dumbo building in Brooklyn, New York City. The apartment offers stunning views of the Big Apple and even features a private 552-square-foot terrace.

The apartment also has a laundry room with a washer and dryer, and three of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms. The penthouse is also accessible via key elevator access only, which is ideal for someone looking to maintain their anonymity, Carl A. Ekroth, associate broker on The Jessica Peters Team at Douglas Elliman, tells CNBC Make It.

“Olympia Dumbo is the highest residential building in historic Dumbo, but what I always like to say is that even though it’s 33 stories tall, we only have 76 apartments in the building, so it feels a lot more boutique than our height would suggest,” he adds.

“It’s such a unique vantage point. This view is definitely unmatched, it’s almost like a piece of art. I haven’t seen many other penthouses like that, so it’s just a special, serene place to be.”

The building offers residents access to a range of amenities spread across three levels. The amenities include a game lounge, bowling alley, spin studio, private locker rooms and playroom, an outdoor pool, hot tub, BBQ areas, and a full-size tennis court overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge. Residents can rent out any of the amenities for up to four hours for their private functions as well.

Additional services include a 24-hour doorman, bicycle storage, and private residential storage available for purchase.

“I see the penthouse buyer being an A-Lister or captain of industry who still wants to keep their privacy and anonymity, but more than anything else, they want to be in the middle of it all because people love Dumbo for that,” Ekroth says.

The penthouse apartment is currently delisted online, but Ekroth says it is still being shown and will be officially back on the market at the $17.5 million price in September.

The Olympia DUMBO is represented by Jessica Peters and Carl A. Ekroth of The Jessica Peters Team at Douglas Elliman, Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes of The Eklund | Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman, and Karen Heyman and Casey Heyman of The Heyman Team at Sotheby’s International Realty. Sales and marketing are supported by Douglas Elliman Development Marketing.

If you don’t have $17.5 million to spare, you can still get a good look inside the apartment in Lee’s film, which is in theaters now and streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 5.

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There may be no more contentious argument in personal finance than rent vs. buy — and for those on one side of the fence, the case can seem very simple.

Buying home, advocates say, allows you to lock in a rate and build equity in a property that will theoretically appreciate. By comparison, forking over what could be a mortgage payment in the form of rent each month is akin to throwing money away.

It’s a line that Bernadette Joy, author of “Crush Your Money Goals,” has heard before. The self-made millionaire and financial coach gets pushback whenever she cautions against homeownership for homeownership’s sake.

“My favorite thing is to challenge people and say, ‘Show me your amortization table,’” she says. “Show me how much equity you’ve really built.”

Over the first several years of your mortgage, Joy points out, much of your payment goes toward interest rather than the principal. If you’re in a 30-year mortgage, she says, you may find yourself a half a decade in with little equity to show for it, which is why she typically recommends an alternative for clients.

“If you’re going to buy a home, buy it on a 15-year mortgage, because at least you’ll build equity much faster that way,” she says. “If you can’t afford a 15-year mortgage, you can’t really afford the home.”

If you’re currently renting and playing around with mortgage calculators, you may think you could own a home for roughly what you’re paying in rent — even if you’re factoring in some of the prominent costs of homeownership, such as property taxes and home insurance.

But homeownership comes with other hidden costs, Joy says. And going in unprepared could leave you in a precarious financial situation.

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“I have very rarely come across a coaching client that said, ‘You know what, let me actually do the proper math of what I can truly afford on a mortgage,’” she says. “And so what I’m finding with that, is that most people are buying more house than they can actually, practically afford.”

Here are a few things to consider in your calculations.

A pricier mortgage

Joy prefers a 15-year mortgage because you can build equity faster, with more flexibility. Though you’ll eventually start paying down the principal on a 30-year mortgage, it’s a long time to wait, she says.

“How likely is it that you’ll see the [30-year] mortgage through to the bitter end, without selling or refinancing (and starting the clock all over again)?” she wrote in a recent article for Bankrate.

Of course, a shorter mortgage comes at a steeper price. Buy a $435,300 home — the median price according to the National Association of Realtors — with a 20% down payment, and you’re looking at a monthly payment of about $2,500 on a 30-year mortgage, according to Bankrate’s calculator. Bump the loan down to 15 years, and your bill rises to nearly $3,400 a month.

The cost of sizing up

No matter which kind of mortgage you choose, a new home is likely going to be a step up in space over what you were renting, says Joy — and that comes with an increase in costs. For one, you’ll have more rooms to furnish. And since you own the place, you’re probably not going to want to go cheap.

“When I sit down with clients, I say, let’s look at the cost of outfitting this home the way you want it to look,” she says. “People don’t want to furnish their new home with IKEA. They’re going to West Elm.”

Expect to pay more in utilities too, she says, since you have more space to heat and cool. And if you left your city apartment for the house out in the burbs, Joy recommends factoring a longer commute into your budget as well.

Maintenance and other headaches

“You have to budget a certain amount every year for repairs, because that’s just going to be the case,” Joy says.

Homeowners pay an average of $8,808 in annual maintenance costs, according to a recent Bankrate survey. If you don’t have the cash to pay for a fallen tree or a new washing machine or one of the million other things that could come up, you may find yourself making some tough decisions.

“What I see happen to a lot of my clients is, they buy the home and things are good until something breaks,” she says. “Then they get into credit card debt, or they are having to significantly sacrifice other places in their lifestyle in order to accommodate those things.”

Overall, Joy recommends a 50-25-25 approach to budgeting, with 50% of your income going toward living expenses, 25% going toward growing your wealth and the remainder on things you enjoy.

If, after accounting for all the costs, buying a home would put your living expenses over that 50% threshold “the math isn’t mathing,” Joy says.

And even if it is within your budget, make sure that you have enough for an emergency fund, too.

“If you’ve been someone who has not been able to maintain a level of three months’ worth of expenses sitting inside a high yield savings account,” Joy says, “then you’re not ready to buy a home.”

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More than a year after the Powerball jackpot last topped $1 billion, the prize has climbed back to that level ahead of Saturday night’s drawing at 10:59 p.m. ET.

After 39 drawings without a winner, the $1 billion prize ranks as the sixth-largest jackpot in the game’s history, according to the consortium that runs the lottery. The last $1 billion jackpot was claimed in April 2024, and the biggest since then was a $526.5 million win in March.

To claim the prize, you’ll need to beat odds of 1 in 292,201,338 and match all six numbers, including the red Powerball. Smaller prizes are also available, including $1 million for matching all five white balls without the Powerball.

Winners can choose between two payout options: the full jackpot spread out as annual payments over 30 years or a lump-sum cash option worth just under half the advertised prize.

No matter which option you select, the Internal Revenue Service takes a cut. Winnings are considered taxable income, so 24% is withheld immediately. But the windfall would almost certainly put you in the top 37% federal tax bracket, so expect to pay the rest when you file your 2025 tax return.

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On top of that, most states levy their own income taxes, ranging from 2.5% to 10.9%. Eight states don’t tax lottery winnings at all: California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

It’s worth noting that five states don’t participate in Powerball: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Based on a top federal rate of 37%, here’s what the total after-tax payout would look like in each state and Washington, D.C., for both the lump sum and the 30-year annuity, according to USAMega.com.

• Lump sum: $274,168,480
• Annuity: $606,289,380

• Lump sum: $267,825,080
• Annuity:  $592,289,400

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $265,559,580
• Annuity: $587,289,390

• Lump sum: $253,824,290
• Annuity: $561,389,400

• Lump sum: $255,591,380
• Annuity: $565,289,400

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $261,980,090
• Annuity: $579,389,400

• Lump sum: $259,691,935
• Annuity: $574,339,380

• Lump sum: $263,067,530
• Annuity: $581,789,400

• Lump sum: $271,902,980
• Annuity: $601,289,400

• Lump sum: $268,278,180
• Annuity: $593,289,390

• Lump sum: $259,669,280
• Annuity: $574,289,400

• Lump sum: $267,371,980
• Annuity: $591,289,380

• Lump sum: $271,902,980
• Annuity: $601,289,400

• Lump sum: $253,099,330
• Annuity: $559,789,380

• Lump sum: $242,451,480
• Annuity: $536,289,390

• Lump sum: $244,716,980
• Annuity: $541,289,400

• Lump sum: $266,239,230
• Annuity: $588,789,390

• Lump sum: $240,865,630
• Annuity: $532,789,380

• Lump sum: $265,559,580
• Annuity: $587,289,390

• Lump sum: $264,200,280
• Annuity: $584,289,390

• Lump sum: $258,763,080
• Annuity: $572,289,390

• Lump sum: $261,934,780
• Annuity: $579,289,380

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $236,787,730
• Annuity: $523,789,380

• Lump sum: $258,763,080
• Annuity: $572,289,390

• Lump sum: $236,108,080
• Annuity: $522,289,380

• Lump sum: $266,239,230
• Annuity: $588,789,390

• Lump sum: $272,356,080
• Annuity: 602,289,390

• Lump sum: $271,336,605
• Annuity: $600,039,390

• Lump sum: $263,973,730
• Annuity: $583,789,380

• Lump sum: $240,639,080
• Annuity: $532,289,400

• Lump sum: $271,585,810
• Annuity: $600,589,380

• Lump sum: $258,355,290
• Annuity: $571,389,390

• Lump sum: $257,403,780
• Annuity: $569,289,390

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $245,849,730
• Annuity: $543,789,390

• Lump sum: $259,442,730
• Annuity: $573,789,390

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

• Lump sum: $236,787,730
• Annuity: $523,789,380

• Lump sum: $263,656,560
• Annuity: $583,089,390

• Lump sum: $250,833,830
• Annuity: $554,789,400

• Lump sum: $285,495,980
• Annuity: $631,289,400

Last chance to save: Want to stand out, grow your network, and get more job opportunities? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course, How to Build a Standout Personal Brand: Online, In Person, and At Work. Learn how to showcase your skills, build a stellar reputation, and create a digital presence that AI can’t replicate. Sign up today with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off the regular course price of $67 (plus tax). Offer valid July 22, 2025, through September 2, 2025.

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