Mother tongue: Always stay calm

There's a storm sweeping through Germany. A storm of indignation. Its foothills can also be felt here in Switzerland. The fronts are hardened, the camps irreconcilable. The reason for this is a documentary film. That wants to teach parents how to raise children. I'll say it straight away, I haven't (yet) seen "Elternschule". Briefly to the content: In a Gelsenkirchen clinic children are brought to sleep, eat and obey. With methods that come from a dark past. There is a headlock when the child doesn't want to eat, when he goes to sleep he goes to a barred bed, there is no reaction to the screaming of the child, mothers should stay hard, physical contact is prevented, fear of separation is met with isolation. The children themselves appear exclusively as tyrants or princesses. They are children with behavioural problems, but the essence of the clinical treatment is certainly understood as a universal all-purpose weapon. There has already been a lot of jubilation in the media - the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" wrote: "A must for everyone who has children of their own", in this "insecure society that struggles with authority". It makes my stomach go queasy. However, many parents and grandparents finally feel understood. It couldn't go on like this with these wimp parents who let their children walk all over them. 

So I don't really feel like forming a well-founded opinion about the film, in other words, watching it. Because it goes against my grain that children are seen as a problem that has to be solved. Because I don't like this authoritarian approach. Yes, I too find it difficult to deal with authorities, you caught me. And because I so rarely go to the cinema, if I actually go, the film should either cheer me up, inspire me or simply entertain me well. "Elternschule" only makes me mad. What I really want to recommend to you, because it really makes life easier for my daughter and me - is meditation. To calm down and stay calm. The experience with my three-year-old teaches me that a genuinely interested "Why don't you want that?" instead of a "Do it now, zackzack" spares both our nerves. My tyrant princess usually reacts to authoritarian instructions, which she does not understand with protest. Which I like. And at the same time has brought me a frown line that can no longer be creamed away. Because that staying calm thing doesn't always work so well. I'll work on it and tell you here my Top 5 of the soul flatterers:

The currently most popular meditation app can be tried out in the free mode, I just got the premium upgrade. You can meditate on various occasions, there are also meditations for children, and you can listen to exciting master classes or my favorites: Bedtime stories for adults. Works wonders for me! Available for iOS and Android. 

If you'd rather meditate in a group, I recommend the Zurich studio MIND IN. It was co-developed by the Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz. Under expert guidance, you can rest here - without a dogmatic background. Mini retreats are also offered. www.mind-in.studio/

I wrap myself in the fancy kimono of the Danish label Konges Sløjd as soon as the evening is over and the child in bed.

Beautiful things please the eyes and the soul. The brass bowl by Oyoy looks great solo, but you can also put in wonderfully dried hydrangeas.

Swissmade and 100% merino wool: The Frilo Swissmade blanket keeps the little ones cuddly warm. (And my feet while meditating.) The label has been around since 1927. Quality proves itself.