Reem Raouda, an advocate for intentional parenting, is redefining the way parents help their kids develop social skills. With over 200 parent-child relationships studied and extensive experience working with more than 1,000 children, she has developed a unique perspective on fostering emotional safety and connection within families.
Raouda, now a mother herself, has gone on to raise not just one but two CEOs and a professor of pediatrics. Her perspective is informed by her own experience as a parent and her research in her professional career. She walks her talk, advocating for a home environment that fosters emotional safety for children. She feels that this working foundation is essential to creating robust social skills.
As part of her initiative FOUNDATIONS, Raouda shares her step-by-step guide to assist parents to heal and create emotionally safe environments. This practical guide gives parents realistic tools to help them model healthy emotional regulation in order to foster peaceful conflict resolution skills within their children.
When children start to fight, the instinct is usually to step in, Raouda notes. She suggests a different approach: “I’m here if you need help, but I think you two can work it out.” This is, as she puts it, an invitation to children to problem-solve and meet one another halfway. This is something every kid needs in their social development.
Raouda points to the importance of modest daily acts of kindness to develop robust lifelong social consciousness. She believes that consistent demonstrations of empathy and understanding from parents contribute to their children’s ability to navigate social interactions effectively.
For instance, when a child hurts a sibling’s feelings, Raouda advises parents to step in with supportive language: “You hurt your sister’s feelings. Let’s think of what we can say or do to make it right.” This method resolves the current spat, but more importantly it helps children learn lessons about accountability and empathy.
Raouda emphasizes that these social skills develop from a deeper place—in a foundation of attachment and emotional security. Real-time emotional modeling by parents and caregivers. This practice equips young people to cultivate their own capacity to self-regulate. She tells me how very sad she is that she isn’t going to go today. Then, she decides to breathe and make a plan for a better day tomorrow. Beyond just entertainment, such expressions give children real-life examples of emotional control to identify, learn from, and relate to.
In addition to exploring the world of parental fantasy, Raouda’s work emphasizes the need for mindfulness and presence in parenting. She believes that when parents are aware of their own emotions and behaviors, they are better equipped to guide their children through social challenges. When a peer’s tone of voice changes from bright to muted, honoring a child’s observation of that emotional cue can become a powerful learning moment. As she explains, “Did you see how his voice just went low? Maybe he’s a little embarrassed.”
Raouda is passionate about mindful parenting. She’s convinced that most parents are the key to helping their children develop strong social emotional skills. And by fostering honest communication and emotional development, she aims to inspire families to form deeper relationships with each other.
Her research and findings are of interest to every parent who wonders how to help raise an emotionally intelligent child. Through workshops, seminars, and her FOUNDATIONS guide, Raouda continues to share her knowledge and advocate for practices that prioritize emotional safety in parenting.