How the Monsters are feeling …

“Dieter is 7 1/2-years-old, and naturally, he considers himself a “big boy” now. In 2012/13, after extensive examinations, he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder with hyperactive tendencies and low-level Asperger’s. This condition can emerge and manifest itself in a number of ways, but my son often shows character traits that seem inappropriate or unfitting for the given situation or his age. He will regularly make statements such as “I want something, but I don’t know what!” Likewise, fits of anger, defiance, and crying are part of our daily life.

On the day that I returned from Berlin with the Gefühlsmonster card set, my son was in such a state. I gave him a card set, and his mood already began to improve as soon as he spread the cards out on the table – he thoroughly enjoyed the monsters and interpreting how they might feel. He is also surprisingly quick at finding cards that show his own emotions. It was very easy for him to tell me a story using the Gefühlsmonster cards. He explains vividly and with many words how the monsters feel and why they feel that way, what they had experienced, what they want to do next, and what they should do to feel better. All in all, we spent about 45 minutes together, and afterwards, Dieter had the urgent desire to also sort the cards according to their numbers.

And so, using the Gefühlsmonster cards, I was able to defuse a critical situation and turn my child’s focus towards his strengths. On the following day, immediately after waking up, Dieter wanted to show me which Gefühlsmonster card was going to be his for the day.

After just a few hours, this card set took us by storm and proved to be a hugely rewarding addition to our family life.”