The No. 1 'magic phrase' that truly teaches kids emotional intelligence
CNBC • • general
Key Points:
- Traditional questions like "What's wrong?" can unintentionally shut children down, whereas asking "Tell me what feels hard right now" helps them reflect and communicate more openly.
- This phrase reduces defensiveness, fosters organic emotional language development, and establishes a sense of emotional safety before problem-solving or advice.
- It empowers children with agency over their emotional sharing, calms their nervous system, and normalizes emotions as natural experiences to be acknowledged rather than suppressed.
- Parents modeling calm curiosity and steadiness demonstrate emotional intelligence in real time, helping children learn to approach emotions thoughtfully.
- Creating a safe environment for emotional expression shapes the parent-child relationship and teaches children that their feelings are important signals deserving attention.
