Children's fears: Our dossier in May

Even children can become paralysed with fear. Find out when and what you can do about it and read three personal testimonials in our big dossier in May. Other topics: Margrit Stamm takes up the cudgels for fathers, a report on violent mothers and why the HPV vaccination is important for girls and boys.

Dear reader

I was five and afraid of the wind. A terrible fear. It happened like this: I was riding my tricycle when a storm broke out. I fought against the wind and the rain to get home. I had to leave my vehicle behind, was almost swept away and made it home with the last of my strength. There I fell into my mum's arms, sobbing - and from then on I was a different boy.
Fear took possession of me, spread, sat in my head, my chest, made breathing difficult. I, the happy, carefree boy I had been a short time before, stood at the window and began to tremble when the leaves moved in the wind. I refused to leave the house or play with other children. My phobia was so strong that I stopped going to nursery school for a year. I only felt safe in a darkened room. My mum reacted lovingly. At first she was worried, later she was at a loss, and finally she took me to therapy.

Everything is new in May - we are currently publishing a new issue, created in our new office. You can see a few impressions in the video with editor-in-chief Nik Niethammer. Click here for the table of contents of the new issue. Video: Florina Schwander

I still feel very grateful today when I think about how I was healed. My therapist was called Mrs Bischof and she lived in a large house with a garden. The house was a playhouse. There was a sandpit, a table tennis table, countless painting utensils and wooden toys. I was allowed to play to my heart's content for as long as I wanted. Mrs Bischof never talked to me about my fears, she never said: «You're a brave boy, you don't need to be afraid of the wind.» No, she just let me play. And slowly the fear left my body. Today I like it when it's really windy and stormy. I'm a relatively anxiety-free person, I just worry that something could happen to my family.
Read our author Sarah King's dossier to find out how anxiety disorders affect family life and how parents can support anxious children.

There are no great discoveries and progress as long as there is still an unhappy child on earth.

Albert Einstein, physicist (1879 - 1955)

On our own behalf: While weeping and gnashing of teeth are now part of everyday life at many publishing houses and media experts are wondering when the last printed newspaper will be published, we have reason to be happy once again: our readership figures have risen for the fourth time in a row. This is confirmed by the figures from the latest Mach Basic Study (2019-1), which is conducted twice a year by WEMF AG für Werbemarktforschung. According to the study, 203,000 readers currently read our magazine, which is 2,000 more than a year ago. And 23,000 more than in 2017.
On behalf of Stiftung Elternsein, the publisher of Fritz+Fränzi, and the editorial team, I would like to thank you for your loyalty. Stay critical. Stay lively. And
stay with us.

Yours sincerely - Nik Niethammer

Order issue:

  • Are you interested in the 05/19 magazine with a dossier on children's fears? You can order it here.