Tell us about your kids.  What’s it like being a Father?

We have one son, Jack, who is 18 months old and another bun in the over (my wife is due mid Sept).  Jack is extremely high energy which is perfect because I am as well.  Being a father is great.  You always hear about the horror stories from other dad’s about lack of sleep, all the stress, etc but no one tells you about how much fun it is.  Not saying its been all roses but I haven’t had this much fun doing anything since I used to sneak out of my parent’s house and make-out with the girl down the block.

Talk to us about your parenting style.

My parenting style is pretty laid back.  My job allows me to be very involved, which is amazing, but overall I would say I am pretty relaxed.  We had a pretty stressful pregnancy/first few months with Jack.  My wife was put on hospital bed rest starting at 28 weeks until Jack was born.  Jack also had a major surgery on his trachea before his first birthday.  I guess those two things really put things in perspective for me as a father.  My wife and I learned had to learn how to deal with stress, feeling helpless, etc right off the bat.  Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face.”  Well, we got punched pretty hard and have learned not to sweat the small stuff.

What do you love to dress your child in? Any favorite items?

I have a problem with kids sneakers…I can’t stop buying them; I think they are so sick.  Foot Locker Kids is terrible for me…its like I can’t stop once I am in there.  If it wasn’t for my wife, I would easily buy 10 pairs every time I go in. It’s crazy because he grows out of them so fast but I love how they look.

When not at Barry’s with your son, what other things do you boys do for fun?

Having a flexible work schedule is extremely gratifying and allows Jack and I to have a lot of “dude time”.  I take Jack to swim lessons at MIT (their pool is fantastic), music lessons in Charlestown, and playscape two times a week.  Now that the weather is turning nice, we will be hitting up pretty much every park in Charlestown (there is a great one in the Navy yard over by Spaulding Rehab facility).

What’s the one thing you cannot life without as a Dad?

One thing I can’t live without is Barry’s Bootcamp.  Being a dad does get stressful and working out is my release.  It is the only place in the world I can turn off my brain and just take an hour for myself.

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For more on Brian and Barry’s, check them out on Twitter @brianpweller & @BarrysBootcamp.