Binding: Our theme for the summer

Dear reader

It's 8.20 pm, 25 May 2020, and blood is dripping from George Floyd's mouth. «I can't breathe. I can't breathe, man. Please.» A policeman kneels on Floyd's neck. «I can't breathe. I can't breathe.» The African-American repeats the sentence 16 times within five minutes. The knee stays where it is. «I'll get in the car,» Floyd promises. The knee continues to press on his neck for an unbearable 8 minutes, 46 seconds. In the face of his death, Floyd calls out to his mother: «Mum. Mum.» Then he loses consciousness. An hour later, the 46-year-old is pronounced dead in Minneapolis hospital.
What a terrible, what a senseless death.
The fact that George Floyd called out for his mum in dire need moves me deeply. While working on this issue, I often thought of that moment. The call for a mother is a call for safety and security, reliability and comfort. We are all born with the need to be accepted and loved unconditionally. Attachment is the name of this powerful emotional bond that holds child and parent together. Even though fathers play an equally important role in the development and upbringing of children in many families today, the mother is still very often the most important attachment figure for the child. George Floyd must have instinctively remembered this in his greatest need.

«It's time for parents to explain to their children from an early age that there is beauty and strength in diversity.»

Maya Angelou (1928-2014), writer and US-American civil rights activist

How does bonding develop? How can parents build a close, trusting bond with their child? And how does the relationship change over the years? The dossier «Attachment» by our lead author Claudia Landolt provides answers to these questions. I highly recommend it to you.
The British-Swiss philosopher Alain de Botton, whom I greatly admire, was recently interviewed by the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper about how to deal with the coronavirus crisis. The editors wanted to know what history teaches us. «It teaches us that people have survived many catastrophes and natural disasters,» replied de Botton. «History also turns us into grandparents. Parents are constantly anxious, say to themselves, he doesn't have enough friends, she still can't walk. And our grandparents? Are calm and composed. Why? Because they have already lived a little further. We all need to become as calm as our grandparents.»
What a statement! It fits perfectly with our monthly interview with sociologist François Höpflinger . My colleague Evelin Hartmann spoke to him about how grandparents see themselves and their relationship with their grandchildren - twice: once before coronavirus and once after the lockdown. Exciting!
I hope you enjoy this double issue, wish you carefree summer days and a light heart at all times.
Yours sincerely - Nik Niethammer