Presenting their "Anouk" children's book series: Peter Maffay and Hendrikje Balsmeyer (Managing Director of Tabaluga Enterprises GmbH), with Minnie Sabel speaking Anouk's voice. © Fabian Fruehwirth
Tutzing - More than four years ago, the life of rock musician Peter Maffay (73) from Tutzing changed enormously. Daughter Anouk was born. Since then, the world star, who is now the father of three children, has been trying to spend as much time as possible with her. Together with his partner Hendrikje Balsmeyer (36, high school teacher), he has even dedicated a series of children's books to her. There is news!
Four and a half years ago, your daughter Anouk was born. How has their everyday life changed since then?
Everything is different and everything is even more beautiful. Our entire circadian rhythm has changed, and you get the feeling that Anouk really brings the house to life. It's downright empty at home if she's not there for even a few hours.
Peter Maffay and Hendrikje Balsmeyer have a daughter together. They dedicate a series of children's books to Anouk. The stories are meant to be a guide for their lives. © ROHN PHOTOGRAPHY/Jennifer Többen
Anouk shows us life from a completely different angle – or let's say, from a point of view that has been forgotten as we grow up. Little beauties of life come to the fore again. Nature and what it gives us is given a special appreciation – for example, when shells are collected during a walk on the beach and then made into a decorative mural that reminds everyone of the holiday.
The girl enchanted you so much that you dedicated a book to her. What did you want to achieve with it?
First and foremost, the book was intended to be a small guide to Anouk's life, encouraging her to approach people in an unbiased and
helpful way. A lot of room for imagination is important, and that's what we wanted to promote. So the book was initially intended as a lasting gift to our daughter. But friends and acquaintances advised us to make the content available to other children as well, so we published it.
Anouk is now at the age where children have their bedtime stories read to them. Does your daughter already know the stories from your stories? Who are you reading? Which one does she like best?
In fact, Hendrikje is the one who prefers to write and I am the one who reads aloud at home in the evening. Anouk prefers book 1 – for the simple reason that the stories here are a little easier to understand for a four-year-old. She likes the pirate story best, because Anouk and her pirate friend end up finding a treasure made up of sweets. She loves this idea!
After "Anouk, who travels at night" and "Anouk, your next adventure is calling!", are you already working on volume three of the bedtime stories?
0
Also Read
Witnesses convict accident-fleeing motorist from Berg
READ
Motorcyclist touches racing cyclist at Etterschlag
READ
In Tutzing, expensive city bike is stolen from carport
READ
Police Gauting asks for help in hit-and-run accidents
READ
In Herrsching, a single-family house is broken into
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
This autumn, book 3 will be published. This is, so to speak, a special edition, namely a Christmas edition in which Anouk reveals the secret of the Christmas season.
This book is very close to our hearts, because even if Christmas or comparable celebrations are lived differently depending on the cultural, family or financial situation, in the end it boils down to a common denominator ... but how we define it for ourselves will only be revealed in the book.
As a working parent, it is not easy for you and many others to give the child the attention you want. Or is it?
At the end of the day, our working hours are very flexible, which probably sets us apart from most of the other parents. We also perceive this as a real privilege – if we feel that there is not enough time for Anouk, then we push our appointments and working hours as far as possible.
And, of course, it is also the case that we let Anouk participate a lot in our work. Since we deal with music and children's topics on a daily basis, she can usually do something with it.
How do we make sure that our children go through life cheerfully, openly and confidently and are not afraid of the future?
Here it is important to put yourself in the child's shoes as a parent and to filter information as far as you would have demanded as a child. As a parent, you often have to improvise and find a way to show the children all the positive things about this world and to consciously do without some marginal and secondary information.
We are convinced that a strong home and a lot of attention and love are optimal conditions for a child to go through life self-confident and confident. That's what we try to offer Anouk in the best possible way.
