My friend Brett Berk got a very early start as a teacher, and by the time he was twenty-five, he was the director of a progressive preschool in the East Village in New York City. Blocks, clay, and instead of costumes, the kids had scraps of fabric they could adorn themselves with. There were occasional guest appearances from a gay, pink haired Cherokee performance artist. There was a lot of rolling around in Tompkins Square Park.
So by the time he was thirty and his friends started having kids, Brett had been working professionally with kids for a long time. And after watching us flail around for a few years as early parents, he figured he’d write a book about us, and for us. The Gay Uncle’s Guide To Parenting was born. In this conversation we talk about some of the hilarious choices he’s seen parents make, and what he makes of them. We talk about poop and sleep and food and what, in his mind, the job of parenting is all about. Welcome.
About Brett Berk
Brett Berk, M.S. Ed., has worked professionally with young children and families in New York City for almost twenty-five years, holding positions as a classroom teacher, a preschool director, and an educational consultant and evaluator. He is a widely published writer on issues pertaining to parenthood and child development, with articles appearing in Babble, Cookie, Momlogic, The Chicago Tribune, Time Out New York Kids, Parenting, Yahoo! Shine, and Vanity Fair, among others. He is also the author of the humorous instructional non-fiction book “The Gay Uncle’s Guide to Parenting” (Crown, 2008)
In addition to his work in early childhood, Brett publishes widely on cars and the auto industry. Foremost among his outlets, he is the automotive columnist for Vanity Fair, and Writer At Large for Time Inc.’s newly launched site The Drive, where he writes about cars and their relationship to our larger culture. keep up with him at brettberk.com.
Here’s a picture of Brett and a sheep.
I am going to remember to play this show for my daughter and son-in-law if/when they decide to become parents! Brett’s insights and enthusiam re early childhood are uplifting and enlightening. Thank you both.
great show! i give every new parent a copy of “gay uncle’s guide to parenting”–brett is the best–
This was terrific. Thanks for putting a little of you in this as well.
There’s plenty ‘googly eyed crazy person’ to go around….
Wow that was such a great interview with such wonderful insights. I’m a new teacher (2 years qualified) in London, England. It made me laugh out loud in recognition but I also learned a lot. Thanks so much! I’m going to share with all my teacher friends and more importantly all my friends who are parents…!!
This show reminded me of an old friend of mine who started a newspaper she entitled the “Bad Mother Chronicles” where we could all share our googly eyed crazy person with the world. Glad to know that Brett’s out there to help us laugh at our laughable ways. Great show!
As a woman with no children, I so often want to scream the same sentiments that Brett does. Leave your kids alone, and let them grow up. You do not have to fix everything! How else will they become complete people. I am so glad my mother was not a helicopter parent. Loved it! Please have Brett on again.