Cover film and editorial for October

Our deputy editor-in-chief Evelin Hartmann is experiencing a premiere this year: she is writing her first editorial! Picture: Geri Born
Our deputy editor-in-chief Evelin Hartmann is experiencing a premiere this year: she is writing her first editorial! Picture: Geri Born

THE OCTOBER MAGAZINE WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NEWSAGENTS FROM WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER.
The other day on the tram towards Zurich main station: three girls, about 16 years old, squeeze onto two seats, a celebrity magazine open in their hands. Shrill cries of excitement pierce my ears. I sit opposite the excited flock of chickens, laptop bag between my feet, shopping for dinner on my knees. After an eight-hour day and the certainty that the children are waiting at home. «Is this the youth of today?» I ask myself - and inwardly roll my eyes.
Yes, admittedly, I was annoyed - and in retrospect I asked myself with shame: are you really that old? Or to put it another way: have those carefree days been so long behind me? The many firsts you experience in your youth, the first kiss, the first party, the first flat of your own?
We change over the years - that much is certain. Nevertheless, in what areas do today's young people differ from us back then? How do 14 to 17-year-olds feel, think and act? We wanted to find out and commissioned author Virginia Nolan to get to the bottom of this question.
«Rebellion is out,» says Peter Martin Thomas from the Sinus Institute in Heidelberg. Instead of being outcasts, young people want to fit in, start a family and maintain friendships. They want a secure job. «Don't lie to your children,» urges psychotherapist Martina Leibovici-Mühlberger, who critics say has written the most pessimistic book about our youth. Is she right?
The world in which young people have to find their way has never been as confusing as it is today. You can read about what this is doing to our youth in the big dossier «Youth 2016: Realistic. Pragmatic. Adapted.»

«I remember youth and the feeling that will never return - the feeling that my life could last forever, longer than the sea, the earth and all people.»

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), British-Polish author

Do you have a tattoo? I don't. Although I wasn't at all averse to it at the end of my teenage years. But the idea of wearing something on my skin for the rest of my life that I might be ashamed of at some point put me off. You can find out what parents should know when it comes to body jewellery in our article in the Nutrition and Health section. Our author has summarised the risks that teenagers face when visiting a tattoo studio.
What is life like for children with a disabled sibling? We spent over a year planning a report together with the Swiss disability organisation Procap. One year. That's how long it took us to find two families who allowed us to gain an in-depth insight into their family life. We are now all the happier to be able to tell the moving story of Elia and Duri. We think so: It was worth the wait! «My brother is missing a part of his head» - the report.
Researchers say that with increasing age, the «first times» are no longer experienced as intensely as they were during adolescence. With this issue, I have once again succeeded in creating «an intense first time»: this editorial.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue and have fond memories of your first times.
Yours sincerely, Evelin Hartmann

Editor-in-chief Nik Niethammer gives an insight into the October issue, in our cover film.

Interested in our October issue? Then subscribe to the Swiss Parents Magazine or order the individual issue here.