125 issues of Fritz+Fränzi - a success story
Ellen Ringier, the founder of Fritz+Fränzi, created a magazine for parents of pubescent children 16 years ago. In other words, for fathers and mothers whose sons are admiring their first upper lip fuzz and are suddenly only able to express themselves in one-word sentences. For parents whose daughters no longer see their dad as a hero, but as an aging, stinky gentleman. For parents whose children are causing them problems and worries. In a 2014 interview with «Werbewoche», Ellen Ringier spoke about what drives her: «The public must finally recognise that some families have serious problems. We have to stop looking the other way in this country.» This form of attention-grabbing is a core idea of the parents' magazine, which can be felt and read in every issue.
These are not easy stories to tell you, dear reader: Children who smoke pot. Children suffering from bulimia, mental disorders, ADHD. Children who join radical political groups. Children who beat their parents. Children who are separated from their parents because they beat each other half to death. Children who wish they were no longer alive. These are topics that are just as relevant today as they were in 2001, the year Fritz+Fränzi was founded. Most young people still want children of their own, as numerous youth studies have shown. For many, however, starting a family increasingly seems like a huge challenge: the excessive demands of parenthood, the difficulty of combining family and career, and one's own financial means often stand in stark contrast to the desire to have children.
Two out of three parents are plagued by self-doubt
If a couple decides to have a child today, it receives more attention than a child from previous generations. «The development of prosperity has reinforced the trend towards an emotional dichotomy in society: intimacy and emotionality in the family setting versus emotionlessness and rationality in the professional world,» says sociologist François Höpflinger in Fritz+Fränzi(11/2013). However, such «emotional communities» are faced with the tension of balancing an idealised emotional world with the reality of everyday life. Indulgence and an emphasis on emotions: this does not make parenting any easier. In studies, around two thirds of all parents say that they are often plagued by self-doubt, even though they do their best every day.
«Every family is its own island, there is no longer an extended family and there are no norms.»
Philipp Ramming, specialised psychologist
«The biggest problem for parents today is isolation,» says specialist psychologist Philipp Ramming (September 2016 issue). «Every family is its own island, there is no longer an extended family and there are no norms that tell us what we should and shouldn't do. The world has become so diverse that we sometimes lose our bearings when it comes to parenting. Nevertheless, the need for protection, guidance and support is always there.»
When Fritz+Fränzi was published in 2001, the magazine was alone on this topic. Back then, parenting was mainly associated with pregnancy, babyhood and the toddler years. Today, there is a growing segment of magazines, blogs and information sites on the internet that deal with the joys and frustrations of bringing up children. Newspapers and magazines, whose core business is primarily reporting on politics and business, are also increasingly discovering family and social issues.
Being a parent is fun despite all the effort
We want to position our magazine even more strongly as a psychology guide, as a companion for parents in both good and difficult times. We don't want to manage problems in the future, we want to offer solutions. And convey an important message with every story: Despite all the effort, being a parent is a great joy.