Interior designer Nate Berkus shares the ups and downs of working from home with 2 young kids: 'It's a zoo'
- Interior designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent have two children, 5-year-old Poppy and 2-year-old Oskar.
- Berkus told Insider that being home with his kids during the pandemic has been "challenging in some ways and beautiful in others."
- He also said he struggles to help Poppy with her kindergarten math homework.
As co-host of HGTV's "Nate & Jeremiah Save My House" and a competitor on the upcoming season of "Rock the Block," interior designer Nate Berkus spends his days designing and beautifying homes with husband and fellow designer Jeremiah Brent. But, like many other parents right now, he's experiencing the challenges of working and parenting from home during a pandemic.
"Our kids are 5 and 2 — it's been a zoo. It's been absolutely crazy," Berkus told Insider while promoting a partnership with Starbucks to help families take virtual family portraits.
But he said the time at home has also allowed him to be part of experiences he'd usually miss.
"It's also been really fun to see 'Oh, I get to hand out snacks at snack time,' and I get to really spend time with them in a way that — whether it's just going for a walk to the mailbox — these things I know I would have missed if I was on the road and working and crazy and on my phone and doing all this stuff," he said.
"Respect to the teachers out there," he said. "[I've been] trying to help my daughter with her classes — it's a little bit embarrassing that I'm hesitant on kindergarten math, but that's just reality. I'm facing it head on."
Even with all of the interrupted Zoom calls and schoolwork struggles, Berkus is grateful for the time with his family.
"It's been very, very different and obviously challenging in some ways and beautiful in others," he said. "I've caught those little moments that I normally wouldn't have seen, and it's been pretty great."