What makes fatherhood so special to you?
As gay men, we were always told that having kids was not possible for us. When we came out to our parents, they lamented the fact that we would never be fathers, but we both knew that we wanted to have children, no matter how difficult it might be. We prioritized that. So, on one of our first dates, when we asked each other if kids were something we wanted, we were relieved and excited to realize we both wanted that in the future. This is more of an exception than a rule in gay relationships. Now our dreams have come true, despite all the odds, so we feel very lucky and it is something we both cherish.
What are you most proud of in being a father?
We are most proud of raising our son to be an open and empathetic person, who will navigate the world in a unique way. We are an "alternative" family, which means he will automatically understand what it is to be different. We are also a multi-cultural family that speaks different languages, so he will grow up understanding that there is a big world out there to explore. We also live in NYC, with so much happening all the time.
What is the most challenging or daunting thing about the role, and how have you overcome it?
The most challenging thing about fatherhood is probably patience. Not only patience during those inevitable tantrums and little rebellions (our son is 3, after all), but also patience with each other. We have two different parenting ideas from two different cultures (French and Israeli-American). We must also have patience for people around us who may not understand or be open to our family dynamic. In all those moments, we have learned that nothing outside of our family unit matters. Even during our own internal arguments and moments of frustration, we know what we are building and are looking forward to surfing the waves.
We have to ask, as you're close to the brand: what is your favorite COSTA BRAZIL product?
Yoni used to live in São Paulo. He likes to use products with natural ingredients. His go-to product would be the COSTA BRAZIL Body Cream, which is particularly smooth and fast absorbing. The combination of oils makes it the perfect body cream in cold or warm weathers. I travel a lot for work, and love the Face Ritual Discovery Set. When I am home, I love the Bath Salt. It's a perfect combination of minerals and Brazilian white clay. It makes my skin radiant.
