Gay Uncle to The Rescue

May 08, 2008

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BB: Yeah, sure. It would be called "Suck it Up, and Take It!" Successful long term relationships, like any kind of relationship, require constant work. In this, they also involve a willingness on the part of both participants to do this work, which is predicated on the idea that you still like each other enough to want to accomplish this. Tal (my boyfriend) and I are lucky in that we still really like each other. For all our differences--our vast, vast differences--we also have learned, at least a little, how to give in to one another's essence and accept the kind of crap that is never going to change about the other person. That's the "Suck it Up and Take It" part.

Outzone: Is this book just for straight parents, or should gay parents or gay uncles and aunts read it too?

BB: It's my feeling that absolutely everyone should not only read, but also BUY this book: parent or non, aunt or uncle, man or woman, straight or gay or bisexual or transgendered. It's even good for grandparents, to help them understand why their children lose their minds the moment their grandchildren are born. It's just a funny, insightful, honest, and intelligent book. Plus, it's a very pretty shade of indigo, and indigo is the color of royalty.

More info: Brett Berk, M.S., Ed. is the author of The Gay Uncle's Guide to Parenting: Candid Counsel from the Depths of the Daycare Trenches (Crown, 2008) He has worked with young children and families for over 20 years, first as a classroom teacher and a pre-school director, and now as a research consultant to some of the world’s biggest producers of kids’ media, toys, and consumer products. He’s also a fiction writing Instructor at The New School whose short stories have appeared in journals including Tin House, Other Voices, FICTION, and The Mississippi Review. He and his boyfriend of eighteen years divide their time between New York City and a house in upstate New York. Visit him at http://www.askgayuncle.com
or email him at gayunclesguide@mac.com