Cindy Brooks LMFT

06/22/2025

Often the richest, most productive play doesn’t look like much because it’s dawdling, imagining, daydreaming, big picture thinking. To encourage this kind of play we must: first, value it; second, observe it; and lastly, not interrupt. The secret to not interrupting is to refrain from speaking to children until they initiate eye contact.⁠⁠
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Side note: Happily occupied babies don’t feel neglected because adults aren’t engaging them (even if several minutes have passed). They know quite well how to ask for attention. Trust your baby.⁠⁠
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If you'd like to read more, I'll link "7 Myths That Discourage Independent Play" here in replies. 💞

05/02/2025

05/02/2025

04/25/2025

04/24/2025

Some good information from a colleague!

Is My Child A Monster? A Parenting Therapy Podcast · Episode

04/24/2024

I can understand the urge to walk babies. After all, they seem to like it so much. When we help our babies walk, they are gleefully entertained — enjoying us enjoying them — while we’re getting a preview of one of life’s major milestones. Sometimes we’re compelled to walk our babies becaus...

03/16/2024

Wisdom for the path of parenting...

Free Conference - Mindful Parenting and Emotional Wellness - November 10-14

03/10/2024

Braving the silence... it's way more challenging than it sounds. But we can do this 💙

07/02/2023

Dear Magda, It is becoming more and more difficult to put Alison, my seven-month-old, to sleep. I have always nursed her to sleep, but now she wakes up crying as soon as I put her down…

05/02/2023

A toddler acting out is not shameful, nor is it behavior that needs punishing. It’s a cry for attention, a shout-out for sleep, or a call to action for firmer, more consistent limits. It is the push-pull of our toddler testing his burgeoning independence. He has the overwhelming impulse to step ou...

12/08/2022

In recent weeks, several readers have asked me to write a post they can share with family and friends to explain Magda Gerber’s RIE basics. Admittedly, simple and succinct aren’t my specialty, evidenced by the hundreds of 1000+ word blog posts I’ve written, all conceived to be under 700 words....