Patchwork: «The road here was often bumpy»
Christoph: «We've been married for ten years now. The road here was often bumpy.»
Regine: «When Christoph and I met, Leon and Nino were five and three, and his son Micha was nine. I lived alone with my boys, Micha was with Christoph every day.»
Christoph: «It took us over six months to introduce the boys to the relationship.»
Regine: «It didn't work with the boys. Micha completely rejected Leon in particular.»
Micha: «Leon was annoying because he was always hanging on my coat-tails. I liked Regine. I liked the fact that she was more relaxed than my dad or mum, who are both top-heavy.»
People often correct me: Aha, you mean your half-brothers? No, I mean: Brothers!
Micha Schmutz
Leon: «I just remember that I always liked Päpu (Christoph). When did things get better with us, Micha?»
Micha: «When I could close the door behind me! When I moved here, I got my own room. And you got older.»
Christoph: «The birth of Manjana certainly also played a role. The boys were really looking forward to having a sister.»
Leon: «Later on, though, I was annoyed that Päpu was stricter with us older children than with the girls. That must have been because of my age: Nowadays, they're more likely to get a hearing.»
Regine: «Christoph and I are very different in some ways. We've been battling over this for a long time. He prioritises fixed structures and processes, whereas I'm an emotional person and act like one.»
Christoph: «It's challenging for me when things aren't in place or plans don't work out.»
Regine: «This obsession with structure is often difficult to reconcile with a large family. I have now accepted that we are different. As a result, we also have different strengths. For a long time, I blamed difficulties on the fact that I had failed before, thinking: we wouldn't have that as a normal family!»
Christoph: «But we pulled ourselves together. It would have been different if we'd been carrying around old grudges. After my break-up, I attended a course to work through it. That helped me a lot.»
Regine: «I was on the same course, but not at the same time. The war with my ex-husband had almost consumed me. At the time, the boys hadn't seen their father for a long time. During the course, I realised that I had to forgive him for his part in our failure - and admit mine. I wrote him my thoughts on the matter. That was a door opener. Today, we even celebrate the boys' birthdays together. My ex never stood in the way of them and Christoph.»
Leon: «I have two fathers, Päpu and Papa. Micha is my brother in the same way.»
Micha: «People often correct me: Aha, you mean your half-brothers? No, I mean: Brothers!»
