Ronja and the Gefuehlsmonsters

Ronja is nine years old and received a Gefühlsmonster mini set as a present. Here she tells Jutta Höch-Corona (JHC) about her experiences with the cards:

“JHC: What did you actually do with the cards? Did you play with them?

Ronja: In the evenings I took them out of my little box thinking about how I felt during the day. Then, I put them down. There were no more than seven or eight cards. Once I took them with me to school and then did that in the long break.

JHC: Can you remember what you had picked out?

Ronja: I once had No. 18. Once I also had No. 22 because I felt queasy for a short time. Then I mainly had No. 11.

JHC: And what does No. 18 actually mean to you?

Ronja: To me it means fun. Because he’s running and looking very cheerful.

JHC: And No. 11?

Ronja: That means to me that they have had a quarrel and now he wants to reconcile.

JHC: How nice. And when you did that in the evening, did you sometimes show it then to your mama or did you do that for yourself?

Ronja: I showed her once. Otherwise I’ve always done it for myself.
JHC: And what was important to you?

Ronja: Well, when I laid my cards, sometimes No. 19 or sometimes No. 23 and No. 24, or a furious one like No. 16. Then I looked at them thinking which cards I wanted to mainly have tomorrow.

JHC: Oh! So you have thought about that before?

Ronja: It has helped me.

JHC: It means that you were considering what card would be good for you for the next day?

Ronja: Yes, exactly. How I want to plan the day.

JHC: And it worked?

Ronja: Yes. I laid out [a card] for two weeks and I think it worked most of the time.

JHC: That’s really great! Can you tell me an example, something that you intended to do the next day and worked out?

Ronja: Thursday evening I took out No. 16 because I had an argument with my best friend. Then I also took out No. 7.

JHC: You remember well.

Ronja: Then I took out all three cards. Because we had arts, I took out No. 12. Because arts for me is always a lot of fun.

And I took out No. 17. Because sometimes I was also afraid. Because there are also big boys in the schoolyard. And they are not always so nice.

And then I said to myself I definitely want No. 5 for the next day, where he lies in a hammock.

Then I wanted No. 11 for the next day, even if there is an argument.

JHC: Because it means to you that you will reconcile with someone?

Ronja: Yes. Then I wanted to have No. 15.

And I wanted one more. Yes, No. 20, because I am a bit puzzled at times.

And it also worked out.
At the end of the day I even had one more. No. 18.

Because we ran around a little. That was so much fun.

JHC: OK, that sounds as if you pay attention that there always is something good?

Ronja: Yes.

JHC: Do you always do that?

Ronja: Sometimes.
Once, when we wrote a math test, I took No. 18. And whenever I wasn’t able to quickly solve a task, I quickly looked at the card and then I felt better and I continued.”