Testimonials
Larissa’s parenting class is one of the most joyful experiences I have with my baby during the week. As a parent I get to sit back in a safe space and observe my child and the other babies. It’s heartwarming to watch them navigate learning and explore the world around them. They form relationships and problem solve without our assistance. I also feel a sense of peace with my child as he’s able to learn at his own pace and still have me there if he needs to check in. I love how Larissa models being patient and moving slowly allowing the kids to explore with safe and loving boundaries.
Parent
Larissa changed our life in the best way possible! Being a mother of twin toddlers, I found the RIE method fascinating and read a lot about it. That’s how I came across Larissa’s work. Her book is just like her, pleasant and yet, clear, and direct. I was lucky to meet Larissa personally and I wish she could come to work for us here in Miami! Instead, she taught the concepts of RIE to our nanny, in weekly classes over the phone, in Spanish! She also had meetings with my husband and me, and my in-laws. Finding her was a life change for us all! I highly recommend her nanny-coaching program. It’s hugely satisfactory for me to know that the professional who helps me to care for my children is so well guided by her. She can really communicate graciously and objectively in an impeccable way the principles of RIE, with love respect and coherence. She has a magical way of making people understand! Larissa really made a difference to our family, and I will be forever grateful!
Marina Neves, Miami
As a first-time parent looking for a nanny, I was finding it difficult to express my caregiving philosophy. Then I found Larissa. She was so aligned with our desire for a respectful approach to parenting. She was able to convey those principles to our Caregiver. Larissa worked with her and us in our home environment and we also enrolled our Caregiver in her intensive weekend workshop. This was our Caregiver’s first professional experience in this role. Larissa was able to communicate the RIE approach to her in Spanish, something we could not do ourselves. I feel truly fortunate to have Larissa as a resource. She is an invaluable partner. It makes me happy to know that she is available as a mentor to Caregivers.
Karla Nielsen
Larissa started working with us when Livia was 2 weeks old and has been my greatest resource over the last three years with my two daughters. She helped us realize that while me and my husband prepared as much as we could by reading all the parenting books and blogs, there was nothing like actually witnessing someone put all the methods into practice. I would watch Larissa in awe seeing how slow she moved when she held the baby. Or watching her interact with our children while she changed their diaper or gave them a bath. It was a sight to see, especially since there was such a stark contrast with what I had seen in the past with other babies over the years. I learned so much from each and every interaction that no book could ever teach me. Larissa’s knowledge is vast. In addition to teaching us how apply the RIE method for caregiving, she was also able to educate us on natural development, help us find age appropriate “toys,” setting up a “yes space,” and even educate me on how to navigate with siblings when my second daughter was born. Larissa’s knowledge is two-fold; she knew the research and had the real-life stories to explain all the benefits of everything we were implementing in our home and with our children. I couldn’t be more fortunate to have a resource like Larissa at the perfect time.
Elizabeth and Shervin Molayem
I always say that when I leave my children with someone that I'm handing them my heart and asking them to keep it beating until I'm back. I know it might sound dramatic, but entrusting someone with your children is the biggest leap a mother can make. So, for 11 years, Larissa had my heart and helped me take amazing care of our children. Her gentle, thoughtful, and respectful approach in caring for my children is something that has directly informed how wonderfully they have developed. No matter where our paths take us, Larissa will always be a part of our family.
Jennifer and Tobey Maguire
Our experience as parents in Los Angeles has been very unique in that we know many parents here who have raised kids with full times nannies. Not us. We know a lot of nannies, because when you come across a good one in passing, they always seem to have a great disposition with an exceptional intuition that has a good bullshit detector naturally attached to it. That said, we have always prided ourselves on our autonomy and have stuck with it to a fault. How? Because we both work. And when you raise children, and you work and you don’t have family around, you don’t sleep. That’s when your own disposition might suffer. We brought Larissa in as a favor. We thought that it would be for a very short time and that once we got our feet under us again, she could go on her way. But what she brought was more than just ‘someone to watch your kid’. She brought an incredible education and a great sensitivity to our daughter (who, in turn, lit up every time she saw Larissa). Then you’re reminded of that old saying “It takes a village” and it starts to make sense in an enlivened way, in a way that lends to your relationship with your kids, instead of detracts. That was our paranoia: that it would be a substitute, instead of an enhancement. Larissa is a wonderful person, and we feel that anybody will be lucky to have her assist in raising their child or children. She brought that light I was talking about, and she is missed since we have recently moved away.
Kathryn and Josh Brolin
Finding a nanny was a sincerely daunting task. The stakes couldn't be higher! We really didn't know where to begin. I was doing some reading online about RIE method, and I happened upon some of Larissa's videos. Her insights and philosophy toward parenting, her clear respect for children as people, really resonated with us. It seemed like a total long shot, but I emailed her asking if she knew any nannies in LA who would have a similar approach. At the time, she wasn't providing the service of connecting families with nannies, so I was writing to her out of the blue. Lo and behold! Larissa recommended us a nanny who is, honestly, too good to be true. Our nanny is not only conscientious and kind, but genuinely understands our particular parenting style. Her ability to dial into our toddler's imagination and reasoning is really something to behold. We feel happy and relieved every day to have found the right person to play such an important role in our family. Larissa was able to identify these qualities in our nanny and knew that she'd be perfect for us. She was so sincere about making sure the fit was good-- it was distinctly different from working with an agency. It wasn't about the money, it was low pressure, and she was completely generous with her time and advice. We're so grateful, Larissa. Thank you!
Tasha & Joseph Gordon-Levitt
“In a nutshell, if kids get what they need in early childhood, they are going to be OK. If they don't get what they need in early childhood, for whatever reason, they are going to have great challenges.” - Dr. Gabor Mate