«The personality of my children often touches me»
Single mum Manuela Krattiger falls in love with her children every day. However, it's not all sunshine and roses.
Manuela Krattiger, 45, works part-time as a practice assistant for an occupational therapist in Reinach BL. The mum of Joshua, 10, and Linus, 7, has been a single parent for five years.
I fall in love with my children anew every day, so to speak. The feeling for my children is so great, it's actually unimaginable! There are always little moments when I look at one of them and think: «Wow, what a gift you are.» Sometimes it's about things, talents or interests that I recognise in them. Then I think: «Maybe he got that from you», and I'm somehow touched.
That's how I feel, for example, when I bend over a book with my older son. We both get totally absorbed in stories and love reading together. Of course, that's a special kind of closeness that you feel. But even more often it's the personality of the respective child that touches me, this very special quality that they bring with them from birth.
I can see from my two sons how much of their character is already there and is not moulded by their parents. They are so different! Joshua has always been wild and very full of energy. Linus is much gentler, much more cautious than his big brother. Their musical instruments are a good reflection of their temperaments: Joshua plays the drums, Linus the harp.
I love their way of perceiving the world. I recently spoke to my younger son Linus about his wishes and dreams. He explained very seriously that he wants to protect the environment, people and nature when he grows up. This depth and seriousness made me so happy that it warmed my heart.
Parenting courses brought serenity
Of course, it's not always sunshine and roses in our house. My older son is a child who doesn't respond to traditional parenting methods. I was often anxious , even annoyed, about whether we could master certain things and achieve school goals. That created a lot of pressure.
I then attended parenting courses and learnt a lot about calmness, letting go and clarity. I practised trusting my child. Now I'm no longer so preoccupied with achieving the perfect result straight away. Since then, I'm more relaxed and can enjoy the children much more.
