• Moving abroad with kids can be challenging.
• BI spoke to parents about how they helped their kids navigate the move.
• Parents suggested telling kids about the move early and involving them in decision-making.

Moving abroad is never straightforward, and with kids in tow, it becomes even more complicated.

Additional factors come into play, from finding the right school and dealing with negative reactions to explaining cultural differences.

"The truth is that as meaningful and life-changing as moving abroad can be, it can be hard, no matter how experienced you feel," Stacy Ennis, who moved her family to Thailand and Portugal, previously wrote for Business Insider.

"When kids are involved, the chances of hardship are even higher," she added.

BI spoke to parents and relocation consultants who uprooted their lives in the US to move to different parts of the world.

Here are their best pieces of advice:

1. Start the conversation early

Genie Doi knew she wanted to leave the US with her family after a shooting near her son's school in Los Angeles. He was 5 years old at the time, and when she told him about the move, he was upset, she said. He worried about leaving his grandparents, friends, and toys behind.

"We tried to prepare him for a year just by talking about how exciting this change is going to be," said Doi, who moved in 2022. Before moving, they also visited his new school in Japan so he could familiarise himself with the environment and try to make some friends.

"It was a really smooth transition for him," said Doi.

2. Plan ahead for school

In 2016, Jackie Baxa relocated from Wyoming to Seville, Spain, with her husband and two sons, who were 9 and 13 at the time. Now, she is a relocation coach for families looking to do the same.

Baxa said that education is a factor that weighs heavily on parents' minds. Things to consider include the language in which classes are being taught and whether their kids have the capacity to pick up a second language.

"Do what you can to foster language development in a way that doesn't feel like you're adding more school to the child," said Baxa, whose sons chose to stay in Europe for college and are now fluent in Spanish.

3. Find a piece of home abroad

Besides packing sentimental items from home, Baxa suggested finding bridging activities to help your kids adapt abroad.

Knowing that her kids were big soccer fans, Baxa and her husband brought them to watch professional games. "We knew that that would be really special for them, and it was special for all of us," she said.

She added that capitalizing on what kids identify with and expanding them into new interests can also create psychological comfort.

"It could open up pathways to friendships and things that will make them feel better about what they've left behind," she said.

4. Involve your kids in the decision-making process

Anna Sosdian, an international relocation consultant at StartAbroad, suggested that parents involve their kids in decision-making.

"Make them feel like they have some control over some of the details," she said, whether that's letting them decide what to do on their first day or choosing which room they will have in the new home.

When Jennifer Kusch told her teenage sons that they were relocating to Dubai for her work, they told her she was "ruining" their lives, she told BI.

But they eventually warmed up to the idea. Kusch moved to Dubai six weeks early to settle into their new home. On trips to Ikea, she video-called her kids so they could choose their bedding and furniture.

"I tried to keep them as involved as possible," she said.

5. Your mood affects your kids

Celia Robbins, who moved to Berlin with her husband and four kids, said she tried to stay positive for her kids. "If you're not happy, it's hard for them to be happy," she said.

To help them better integrate, she and her husband networked and joined communities on Facebook.

They also sent their kids to German language classes and enrolled them in a German American school.

"We are trying hard to be ourselves while also appreciating the community and the culture that we're a part of," she said.

6. Encourage them to ask questions

Despite the stress of moving and potential resistance from their kids, these parents agreed on one thing: Go for it.

Learning to say goodbye to friends and being the new kid is hard, said Katie Miller, who moved from Texas to Dubai with her husband and three young kids earlier this year.

"But I'm watching each of them thrive because they've been stretched in new ways," she said.

She said parents should invite their kids to be curious about the moving process.

"We told the kids there are no silly questions. We are all learning together."

• Netflix streamed NFL games for the first time on Christmas Day.
• Technical problems marred a high-profile boxing match last month, but Netflix learned lessons.
• Many social media users praised Netflix for a smooth broadcast after it beefed up capacity.

After fumbling a high-profile boxing match featuring Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last month that was marred by technical problems, many social media users praised Netflix for a smooth broadcast of its first-ever NFL games on Christmas Day.

Netflix, with more than 280 million subscribers worldwide, is the home of hit shows like "Squid Games" and "Stranger Things," which have different technical requirements than massive live events.

Christmas marked the first time it has streamed America's most popular sport, with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans followed, featuring a halftime performance by Beyoncé.

More than 60 million users tuned into last month's boxing match, exceeding Netflix and internet service providers' capacity.

Netflix's stream of the event was beset by buffering, poor image quality, and audio problems after Netflix executives greatly underestimated the size of the audience and failed to beef up capacity, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"We were stressing our own technology, we were pushing every ISP in the world right to the limits of their own capacity, we were stressing the limits of the internet itself," Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos explained at a conference this month.

It was an embarrassing misstep for Netflix, which is set to broadcast Christmas NFL games through 2026 and recently signed a contract to stream the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

For the Christmas NFL event, executives worked ahead of time with internet service providers like Charter's Spectrum, Comcast's Xfinity, and Verizon's FiOS to increase capacity, the Journal reported.

The investment seems to have paid off.

However, not everyone was pleased. Some social media users complained about glitches, and others disliked being forced to subscribe to yet another streaming service to watch football.

• Beyoncé performed live during halftime of the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans game on Wednesday.
• The set list included live debuts of "Cowboy Carter" tracks, including "Texas Hold 'Em" and "Ya Ya."
• She also performed duets with singers Post Malone and Shaboozey.

Beyoncé took the stage at the Ravens vs. Texans game on Christmas Day, delivering a dynamic NFL halftime show that doubled as another test for Netflix's live event strategy.

The 12-minute performance at NRG Stadium in Houston, Beyoncé's hometown, featured live debuts of several tracks from her latest album, "Cowboy Carter," plus multiple duets with special guests — including Beyoncé's 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who joined the performance to line dance during the final song.

Here's every song on Beyoncé's Christmas Day setlist, listed below chronologically.

'16 Carriages'

"16 Carriages" was released alongside "Texas Hold 'Em" as the single's B-side. It has been nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 2025 Grammys.

'Blackbiird'

Beyoncé performed "Blackbiird" with Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts — a cover of the 1968 classic by The Beatles, which was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.

'Ya Ya'

The 20th track on "Cowboy Carter" is a country-rock banger that interpolates two hits from 1966: Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations."

"Ya Ya" was hailed by critics as a standout upon the album's release and will compete for best Americana performance at the Grammys in February.

The song was previously used in a promotional video for the 2024 Paris Olympics on NBC, which featured clips of Beyoncé introducing Team USA athletes like Noah Lyles, Sha'Carri Richardson, Caeleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles.

'My House'

"My House'" was released at the end of 2023 as a single ahead of Beyoncé's 2023 film, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé."

'Spaghettii, 'Riiverdance,' and 'Sweet Honey Buckiin'

Beyoncé brought out Shaboozey to perform a medley of their collaborations on "Cowboy Carter," including "Spaghettii," a Grammy nominee for best melodic rap performance.

Following his featured role on "Cowboy Carter," Shaboozey had a breakout year with his own hit, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)." The country-pop anthem topped the Hot 100 for 19 weeks, tying Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" for the longest streak in history.

'Levii's Jeans'

Beyoncé welcomed Post Malone to the stage for a duet of "Levii's Jeans," the 17th track on "Cowboy Carter," and Grammy nominee for best pop duo/group performance.

Like Beyoncé and Shaboozey, Malone had a big year. He released his own country album, "F-1 Trillion," in August." The tracklist included collaborations with Nashville legends like Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, and Chris Stapleton.

The album's biggest hit, however, was a duet with Morgan Wallen titled "I Had Some Help," which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and remained atop the chart for six weeks.

Malone also topped the Hot 100 in April by teaming up with Taylor Swift for "Fortnight," the lead single from her record-breaking album "The Tortured Poets Department."

'Jolene'

Beyoncé's version of "Jolene" put a twist on country singer Dolly Parton's popular song about infidelity.

Parton recorded the introduction to Beyoncé's rendition, telling E! News in a May interview that she was "very proud" of the song's success.

"As a songwriter, you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them," Parton said.

'Texas Hold 'Em'

"Texas Hold 'Em" was surprise-released as the lead single for "Cowboy Carter" during the 2024 Super Bowl.

The song shot to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, making Beyoncé the first Black woman in history to top the chart.

"Texas Hold 'Em" also held No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and earned three more nods — song of the year, record of the year, and best country song — for the most-nominated and most-awarded performer in Grammys history.

President Biden and President-elect Trump both delivered warm Christmas messages as a change in presidential administrations nears, though the Republican leader went on to take aim at Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal.

The big picture: Biden in a post to X acknowledging this would be the last time as president he'd wish the nation a Merry Christmas said he hoped the U.S. would "continue to seek the light of liberty and love, kindness and compassion, dignity and decency."

• He later said in a message wishing a happy Hanukkah, "As Hanukkah begins, may it shine from menorahs around the world."

Meanwhile, Trump began on Truth Social by wishing a Merry Christmas to all and posted a video with Melania Trump paying tribute to Christianity and thanking Americans who keep the U.S. safe before extending his holiday wishes in a later post to Chinese soldiers that he claimed were "lovingly, but illegally," operating the Panama Canal.

Zoom in: He did not elaborate further on these claims. Instead, he moved on to single out "Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada," whose citizens' he said paid taxes that were "far too high."

• If Canada "was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World," added Trump, who in a later post wished a Merry Christmas to "Radical Left Lunatics."
• "Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!" added Trump, who will be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

Context: Trump's remarks build on earlier comments about Panama, Canada and Greenland.

• He's floated the idea of the U.S. taking ownership of Greenland and suggested annexing Canada amid border security negotiations in a pitch that Axios' Dave Lawler notes that's designed at least in part to needle Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
• And he's said the Panama Canal should be returned to the United States if Panamanian authorities don't lower fees for U.S. ships.

• Donald Trump urged Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister of Canada.
• One of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's coalition partners may force him out of the position.
• Gretzky visited Mar-a-Lago and wore a MAGA hat after Trump's November electoral victory.

In a Christmas Day message, past and future president Donald Trump said he urged Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister of Canada.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that he talked with the legendary hockey player and Canadian icon, telling Gretzky he could easily win a national election.

He also said Gretzky could become "Governor of Canada" — an apparent reference to his joke that the northern neighbor could become the 51st state in the United States of America.

"I just left Wayne Gretzky, 'The Great One' as he is known in Ice Hockey circles," Trump wrote in a Wednesday afternoon Truth Social post. "I said, 'Wayne, why don't you run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada - You would win easily, you wouldn't even have to campaign.'"

Gretzky wasn't interested in running, Trump said.

"He had no interest, but I think the people of Canada should start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement," Trump wrote. "It would be so much fun to watch!"

A representative for Gretzky didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

In his next presidential term, Trump has said that he would impose tariffs on imported goods from Canada that would make American importers pay 25% more.

Trump's account posted on Truth Social nearly 40 times on Wednesday, mostly articles from conservative media outlets supporting his policies. He also named Kevin Marino Cabrera, a Republican official in Florida who worked for Trump's 2020 campaign, as his choice for ambassador to Panama. Over the past week, Trump has threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal.

The president-elect's support for Gretzky — a dual US-Canadian citizen — comes as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could be on the brink of losing power.

Trudeau's Liberal Party remains in power through a coalition with the New Democratic Party in the country's parliament. Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party, said he would call for a "no confidence" vote in January, costing the Liberals their majority and triggering a new election. Canada is also scheduled to have a federal election in October 2025.

Gretzky and his family visited Mar-a-Lago shortly after Trump's November electoral victory. In one photo posted to Instagram by a Trump Organization executive, Gretzky is wearing a white-and-gold "Make America Great Again" cap.

In the past, Gretzky has occasionally supported members of Canada's Conservative party, which polls show is leading Trudeau's Liberal party.

• Sam Altman asked his followers on X for ideas to improve OpenAI in 2025.
• Altman responded to suggestions about creating family accounts and improving video features.
• OpenAI had a rocky year following new litigation from competitor Elon Musk.

Sam Altman wants your suggestions for improving OpenAI in the new year.

On Christmas Eve, OpenAI's CEO opened the floor to his followers on X with a simple question: "what would you like openai to build/fix in 2025?"

Altman's post comes toward the end of a tumultuous year for OpenAI. Elon Musk, who cofounded the company but left the board in 2018, filed a lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI in February. Musk withdrew the lawsuit in June but filed a new lawsuit in August in which he argued that OpenAI executives "deceived" him into cofounding the company.

Amid its legal challenges, OpenAI raised $6.6 billion in funding in October — a record-high funding round for tech in Silicon Valley — pushing the company's valuation to $157 billion.

Now, Altman is looking at what's in store for the new year, and he's crowdsourcing ideas on how to continue advancing and improving not just ChatGPT but all of the company's existing and emerging products.

Here are three ideas Altman appears to be eyeing so far.

Family accounts

One X follower responded to Altman's post with a suggestion to allow OpenAI users to create accounts for families that include guardrails, allowing kids to use the platform safely.

"Let their curiosity take off, but within reasonable limits, as determined by the parent," the user wrote, to which Altman responded: "this is a good idea!"

OpenAI's website states that ChatGPT isn't meant for children under 13 and requires parental consent for children ages 13 to 18 to use the platform, but does not actively verify the consent.

Improvements to voice chats

ChatGPT developed a voice feature that allows users to speak directly to the chatbot. One of Altman's followers suggested that the feature be improved because, as of now, per the user, "you can't just silently think for 5 seconds without being interrupted."

Altman wrote that that's a "good point." Users have struggled with the feature since it was rolled out, with some having reported bugs and misinterpretations from the chatbot.

Better video generation

Multiple users urged Altman to improve Sora, OpenAI's text-to-video model. Sora allows users to describe a video they want the platform to create with a written prompt, which Sora will generate based on the text.

Sora officially launched on December 9 after being piloted to a limited group of creators in February. Rohan Sahai, Sora's product lead, said at the launch that the product would begin more conservatively because its team wants to prevent illegal activity like copyright violations while allowing for creative expression.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Bird flu cases in Washington have spread to an animal sanctuary, resulting in the deaths of 20 big cats and forcing the center into quarantine until further notice.

The big picture: Wild Felid Advocacy Center in Shelton is working closely with public health officials to monitor workers and animals after the presence of bird flu (HPAI) was confirmed in some big cats at the sanctuary, per a statement on its website.

• The center confirmed in a Friday Facebook post that the virus had killed five African servals, four bobcats, four cougars and two Canada lynx. One Amur/Bengal tiger, a Bengal cat, an African caracal, a Geoffroy's cat and a Eurasian lynx also died of bird flu.
• The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in a statement warning that bird flu cases were on the rise in the state confirmed two cougars in Clallam County contracted the H5N1 strain of the virus.

Zoom in: The sanctuary said in a Dec. 2 Facebook post earlier this month that it would temporarily close because some of its big cats were "experiencing unknown illness" and confirmed four days later that bird flu had been detected in the animals.

• "We are heartbroken to share that animal health officials have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among over half of our wild felids as of December," per a Friday Facebook post from the nonprofit that houses big cats were previously not well looked after or whose owners could no longer care for them.
• Mark Mathews, founder and director of the sanctuary, told the New York Times on Tuesday that the animals' deaths occurred from late November to mid-December.
• The center has removed 8,000lbs of frozen food and had begun the weeks-long task of disinfecting the area the area, per the NYT.

What we're watching: The cause of the outbreak was not immediately known, but the center noted on Facebook that bird flu "spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can also be contracted by carnivorous mammals that ingest birds or other products."

• Cats "are particularly vulnerable to this virus, which can cause subtle initial symptoms but progress rapidly, often resulting in death within 24 hours due to pneumonia-like conditions," the post added.

What they're saying: "This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals," the sanctuary said in its post.

• Mathews told the NYT they'd "never had anything like it." The big cats "usually die basically of old age," not something like this "pretty wicked virus," he said.
• "It looks like the virus has taken its course," he added. "We're just trying to make [one of the animals] that's incapacitated now just a little stronger."

What's next: The sanctuary aims to reopen in the new year, per the center's website.

Zoom out: A pet food company in Oregon this week issued a voluntary recall of its raw and frozen products, as state officials investigate the bird flu death of an indoor cat that they linked to its food.

• Meanwhile, Los Angeles County health officials are investigating the H5 bird flu deaths of four house cats that consumed recalled raw milk.

Go deeper: CDC reports first severe human case of bird flu in U.S.

• Biden signed a bill making the bald eagle the official national bird of the United States.
• The bald eagle, an iconic American symbol, was endangered but has since recovered.
• The bill received bipartisan support and was backed by eagle advocates.

One prominent member of American society received a promotion with bipartisan support this holiday season: The bald eagle is now the official bird of the United States, a proclamation nearly 250 years in the making.

On Christmas Eve, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that amended title 36 of the United States Code and designated the bald eagle as the official national bird. The bill was sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and co-sponsored by fellow Minnesota Democrat Tina Smith, as well as Republican Senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. The bill was introduced on June 20, 2024 — which is also National American Eagle Day.

"The bald eagle has long been a symbol of freedom and patriotism for our nation," Senator Mullin said in a statement touting the bill's passage. "It's only fitting we officially designate the bald eagle the national bird of the United States. I was glad to join my colleagues in leading this bipartisan effort and appreciate the House's swift consideration."

Bald eagles have had a long — and somewhat rocky — history in the US. The bird was officially adopted as part of the country's Great Seal in 1782 and has since become synonymous with patriotism and other American values. But bald eagles teetered on the verge of extinction in the 1900s, and the species was designated as endangered in 1967. Since then, the species has soared to recovery; as of 2020, there were 316,700 bald eagles in the US, although over 40 bald eagles succumbed to bird flu in 2022. More recently, bald eagles have made headlines for adopting rocks, stealing pizza, and fostering abandoned chicks.

The move to officially enter the bald eagle into law drew support from eagle advocates, who have been pushing for the measure. A press release from The National Eagle Center crowed "The Bald Eagle Is Ready To Spread It Wings And Soar As The Country's Official Bird."

"This is an exciting day. The Bald Eagle has symbolized American ideals since its placement on the Great Seal in 1782," Preston Cook, the cochair of the National Bird Initiative for the National Eagle Center and author of "American Eagle – A Visual History of Our National Emblem," said in a statement. "With this legislation, we honor its historic role and solidify its place as our national bird and an emblem of our national identity."