21 January 2025

Raising a child In today's fast-paced, achievement-driven world, that's no easy feat. While many parents focus on grades and extracurriculars, one of the most overlooked skills is… Emotional intelligence.

This not only helps children excel socially; It helps them grow flexiblesympathetic, and Successful adults Who can confidently overcome challenges, foster meaningful relationships, and live a fulfilling life.

So, what do parents raising emotionally intelligent children do differently? Years after Study of over 200 parent-child relationships By practicing healthy habits with my own child, I discovered seven powerful strategies that these parents adopted early on.

1. They understood the power of silence

2. They named feelings early and often (mostly their own)

By verbally exchanging feelings — such as “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 feelings as normal and share them openly rather than suppressing them.

3. They apologized to their child

They showed their child that mistakes are a part of life and that taking responsibility is strength. Apologizing builds trust, shows respect, and makes the child feel valued. She also modeled empathy and taught them how to mend relationships.

4. They didn't force “please,” “thank you,” or “sorry.”

This may seem unconventional, but they knew that kindness and respect could not be imposed by force. Instead, they modeled these behaviors, trusting that their child would learn by example. If their child forgot to say thank you, the parent said it, confident that the lesson would stick over time.

This takes a lot of courage! But as a parenting coach, I never ask 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.

5. They didn't ignore small concerns

They took their child's concerns seriously, whether it was a lost toy or a problem with a friend. By validating their feelings, they show their child that emotions matter. This enhanced their self-esteem, emotional safety and respect for their experiences.

6. They didn't always provide solutions

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

7. Embrace boredom

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

How to develop your child's emotional intelligence?

  • Model the behaviors you want to see: Express your feelings 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 him the space to process those feelings without rushing to fix or reject them.
  • Encourage problem solving by asking open-ended questions rather than providing all the answers.
  • Allow them to 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 begins with feeling safe, valued and understood.

Reem Rawda She is a certified mindful parenting coach, mother, and innovator related to – The first and only parent-child communication magazine designed to enhance emotional intelligence and self-esteem in children. Hundreds of families have converted through it Courses, Training And tools. Follow her Instagram.

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I've raised two successful CEOs and a pediatric professor, and this is the biggest parenting mistake I see

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