Amy Sirot

Native New Yorker Kate Burton, a family-portrait and event photographer, and husband Nathan Brackett, deputy managing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, have been a couple almost since the day they met in Fort Greene 15 years ago. These days, they inhabit a duplex in one of Brooklyn's most low-key neighborhoods, the Columbia Street Waterfront District, with their two children, Minna and Leo. In May, Kate set down some more roots, opening Burton Wells Photographers, a studio specializing in black-and-white portraits shot on film, in nearby Boerum Hill. Tell me a little bit about the neighborhood and how you ended up here.KB It's got a new name. I think it used to just be called Red Hook. [Laughs]NB We loved the house and the vibe. The area's also got a great public school, P.S. 29.KB It's a special place. Most of the people who live here are artists.NB It feels like a small town, but you can also get takeout.KB There are still live chickens in our neighborhood, too! [Laughs] Kate, what's the hardest thing about photographing families?KB Managing people's expectations—parents always think their children will cooperate. But kids just don't see a reason for why they're there at all. The trick is not to say you have to sit still and smile. If you say, "Don't smile," they'll think it's the funniest thing in the world. Have you ever had your own family portrait taken?KB No. It's something I really want to do, though. I shy away from that somehow, like that thing about the plumber wit

Max Brenner, the owner of Chocolate by the Bald Man, started his sweets empire in his native Israel 13 years ago, and has since expanded it to Asia, Australia, Philadelphia and, in 2006, NYC’s Union Square. His luscious, imaginative offerings might not be kind to parents’ waistlines, but they get kids jumping up and down (and up and down and up and down). Diving into Max’s Palace Famous Chocolate Mess Party (warm chocolate mud cake with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate candy, toffee, and bananas or strawberries) or any other fanciful specialty is pure bliss for little sugar fiends. Brenner’s new cookbook, Chocolate: A Love Story, due out on November 2, conveys his passionate views on life, love and, of course, the sweet stuff. Max lives in Gramercy Park with his wife, Liron, a civil engineer, and their daughter, Nellie. What drew you to NYC?MB It’s the main city to create buzz. We decided as a company that this is the most interesting market for us. How has parenthood changed your lives?LB I think that it made me less selfish. It made my heart grow ten times bigger, and it made us more complete as a family.MB For me, it was really a complete change in life. I’m 41 now, so it took me some time to decide if I really wanted to take this path of fatherhood and family. I had lots of concerns, especially because this is an irreversible responsibility. And eventually I said, I have to do it and try, and—LB It turned out good.MB My imagination is very powerful, an

Gaines Peyton is a painter and co-owner of the Sears Peyton Gallery in Chelsea. Her husband, Kyle Creane, left a career in advertising to write a young-adult novel and take care of their daughter, three-year-old Matilda. When they’re not enjoying their friendly Brooklyn neighborhood, the trio spend time at the gallery, which makes a point of accommodating parents with a yen for collecting. What’s life like, running a gallery?GP It’s amazing; it’s my dream job. I moved to New York to be a painter, and then I discovered that I enjoy business, too. So it’s a perfect marriage of those two interests. My partner, Macie Sears, and I are able to find new talent and bring their work to a wider audience. It’s incredibly rewarding. What kind of art do you think appeals to children?GP I’ve found that kids really respond to art when they can imagine how it was made. Kathryn Lynch, an artist we’re exhibiting, has work that is so exuberant. The brushwork has a casual quality about it, and yet it’s incredibly sophisticated and economical, the way she renders so much with so little. Kids appreciate the energy of her work. Is your gallery kid-friendly?GP Oh, yeah, we have toys in the back room to occupy children if parents want to linger. The best art hits people in a primal, emotional kind of way, and that works on you no matter how old you are. And it’s such a fun thing, bringing your kids to Chelsea. How are Matilda’s artistic skills?KC It’s against our nature to brag, but she’s got a gift.

You've cleared your schedule and finally found a few hours for quality time with your preteen. Just one glitch: She wants nothing to do with you. Somehow, overnight, you've become incredibly (a) uninteresting and (b) embarrassing to your darling child, and hanging out with you is not high on her list of priorities. Don't let this deter you. There are loads of activities around the city so fun and cool by tweens' standards that they'll agree to your company. Plus, some goings-on require adult supervision, not to mention cash. So next time your kid gives you the Look of Death, surprise her with one of the following suggestions. Participatory sports Rock climbing Because your local playground's jungle gym doesn't cut it anymore. The 30-foot rock-climbing wall in the Field House at Chelsea Piers—not to be confused with the 46-foot "ultimate challenge" wall in the sports center—is designed for kids and teens (and a good bet for inexperienced adults). Ultranewbies can sign up for private lessons together. Between Piers 61 and 62, Eleventh Ave at 23rd St (212-336-6500, chelseapiers.com). $115 per hour for a two-person lesson. Aviator Sports and Recreation, the outer-borough Chelsea Piers, offers drop-in sessions on a 35-foot wall. 5 Floyd Bennett Field, Marine Park, Brooklyn (718-758-7500, aviatorsports.com). $10 per person for two climbs. Skateboarding You put it off for as long as you could, but your kids are no longer "too young" for skateboarding. And though you may be "too ol