Cabbing in Italy can be a gnarly affair. Here’s how to navigate it

I knew something was amiss when the taxi meter read 10.50 euros as we pulled away from the Roma Termini train station. While negotiating the evening rush hour traffic and typing into a translation app on his cell phone, the cab driver suggested the starting fare included a surcharge for all rides from Rome’s main […]

What to say instead of ‘you can do anything’

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Digitalvision | Getty Images Despite your instincts, telling your child that they can do “anything” can be counterproductive. “‘You can do anything,’ is positive, but it’s very generalized,” according to Joanna North, a consultant psychotherapist. “I think that we need to draw it down to specifics for children, and [find] […]

How to make small talk if you are to succeed socially this Christmas

“Hello, lovely to meet you. So, how much do you weigh?”  Don’t worry, you needn’t answer unless you wish to. But you’ll agree it’s a useful reminder of how not to make small talk if you want to succeed socially this Christmas. You might assume it’s intuitive to avoid highly personal questions when shooting the […]

What to ask kids instead of ‘how was school?’

Courtney Hale | E+ | Getty Images “How was school?” and “How was your day?” aren’t the best questions to ask children after a day at school, according to psychologists. “‘How was your day?’ could mean 100 things,” Dr. Linda Papadopoulos, a psychologist, author and broadcaster, told CNBC by phone. “Those very wide questions are […]