After graduating from high school, Mechtild Gödde wanted to become a foreign correspondent, but then she took a completely different path.
She recently retired as the general manager of the KJF Children's and Youth Welfare Service in Weilheim-Schongau.
In an interview with the local newspaper, she looked back - and had tips for parents on the side.
Weilheim / District
- Mechtild Gödde, who grew up in Münsterland, was at the head of child and youth welfare in the district, an institution of the Catholic youth welfare (KJF) Augsburg, for 14 years. 65 employees were most recently part of her team: at the education, youth and family counseling centers in Weilheim, Penzberg and Schongau as well as at the Clara Fey day care centers in Schongau and in social work at schools.
The 65-year-old, who lives in Munich, has made a good start into retirement: “So far, it's been going very well,” says Gödde, who can now have a long-lasting “weekend feeling”.
However, she doesn't just want to enjoy her free time.
“I still feel fit,” she explains and is considering, for example, offering city tours by bike in and around Munich.
She is currently in a finding phase without having any pressure.
Gödde, who grew up with four siblings herself, now has more time for her family.
She has two grown sons and her third grandchild will soon be born, as she says with noticeable anticipation.
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The topic of “family” also had a strong influence on Gödde's work at the KJF.
More and more families took advantage of the support provided by child and youth welfare.
Last year alone 1010 children and young people and their families were accompanied by the three parenting advice centers.
In her work, Gödde noticed that parents, especially mothers, often put themselves under “pressure to optimize” - whether through the idea of having to do tasks in a certain way or through the pedometer that you carry with you.
The 65-year-old advises those affected to ask themselves: What are realistic requirements?
How do I implement this?
Where can I find support?
“You don't have to be the super mom,” says the qualified psychologist, who is pleased that, in her experience, the willingness to accept advice has increased.
“I think it's great that more fathers are involved in the household and for the family,” says Gödde.
But this development also carries the risk that the parents will compete with one another.
Instead of making life difficult for yourself in this way, from the psychologist's point of view it is better to see your partner “as a complement” and to treat them with tolerance.
Mechtild Gödde completed her first degree in France
The psychology course was the second course that Gödde completed. First she studied art history and archeology in France. After completing her master's degree, however, she decided that she would rather deal with people, and began her second degree. Following this, she worked in research at the Ludwig Maximilians University and at the Institute for Early Education in Munich. Later she was looking for a job with more practical relevance - and so she came to the KJF in the district.
In her years with child and youth welfare, as she says, the work for and with boys and girls was particularly important to her, whose parents have separated and, so to speak, lost sight of their children. It is nice, says Gödde, if In such cases it is possible for the parents to work together again, to focus on their children again.
“These are really great moments,” says the psychologist, who would have wished for more of them.
In her work at the KJF, it was important for Gödde to cooperate with other bodies such as schools and work in a team.
She always felt supported, says the current retiree - “you can't do it alone”.
For the future of the KJF, Godde would like the so-called outreach educational counseling to be expanded and consolidated.
The offer of home visits to families has been an experiment for two years.
In addition, the 65-year-old wishes that there would always be sufficient funds for the “Pegasus” project.
This helps families with one parent who is addicted or is mentally ill.
Mechtild Gödde wants to come back to the district for cycling, she will miss her choir
Even if she lives in Munich, Gödde would like to come back to the district.
This is beautiful, she praises, and there are “wonderful cycle paths” that she would like to use.
According to her, she will miss the "Weilheimer Chorkreis" of which she was a member.
Singing is something positive, says Gödde, “but coming to Weilheim once a week is too much for me”.
Mechtild Gödde has two successors at the KJF child and youth welfare service in Weilheim-Schongau. The overall manager is now Stefan Ronnsiek, who is also the overall manager of the KJF-Kinder- und Jugendhilfe Kaufbeuren-Ostallgäu. Kurt Dorn is now head of the three educational counseling centers in the Weilheim-Schongau district. He was previously responsible for the advice center in Schongau.
