«I enjoy having more time for conversations now»
I believe that there can never be too many times when conversations are possible. The question is rather: how do we manage to get everything done, take everyone's hobbies and needs into account and still have enough time together? The word «communicate» has its origins in Latin, from the verb «communicare», where «communis» means «together». That says a lot: communication only works together.
I always need someone to hear what I want to say. We stick to this very strongly in our family. With five people, it's not always easy for everyone to find their place and be heard. This is where the adults are needed, sometimes a bit of moderation is required. I consciously ask all three children questions, show interest and make sure that they let each other have their say.
There can never be too much time for dialogue.
We talk a lot about death and illness, big life topics that we don't taboo, but consciously keep accessible. Simon and I agree: we don't want to protect Lorin, Marietta and Giosch from everything that is difficult, we want to accompany them as they come to terms with the world.
A place to live with fewer distractions
Our move from the city of Zurich to the Engadin was a conscious decision to let our three children grow up in a less stimulating environment. There are so many great things to do in Zurich that we were often out and about and hardly ever among ourselves. That was nice, but always associated with a lot of distraction. Now I enjoy having more time for direct conversations with my children.
Because I'm in Zurich from Sunday evening to Tuesday evening for work and my partner from Wednesday to Friday evening, I'm much more aware at the moment and the division between family and work is much clearer. We take care of organisational matters during the week so that the five of us can really spend the weekends together and don't have to deal with everyday stuff.
We all negotiate what we do at the weekend together. This process can drag on a bit from time to time because everyone has different ideas. It takes patience on our part, but representing our own interests and discussing the day's programme together keeps our family life very lively.
