Finally Reunited with the Parents
Biene wrote this post.
I would tell my friend that the Golden West was not golden. It was a figment of the mind like the story of Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. As for the big allure of freedom, it was overrated. Although I could have chocolate and even bubble gum, I felt more restricted here than home. My sister’s friends did not let their boys and us go anywhere without supervision except the nearby fenced-in playground. They would drop us off and pick us up,
In Gotha, we were allowed to play for hours in our neighbourhood. Once my brother and I decided to visit the castle Friedenstein on our own. A friendly castle guard noticing our curious glances at the open castle portal, invited us in and gave us a tour telling us some historical highlights. Thus, we learned that the great Emperor Napoleon had slept in the pompous, canopied bed that looked like a sailing ship. Since our dad was a history buff, he had told us about Napoleon, who fascinated him. Suddenly I longed for all the familiar things of home, which I seemed to be losing. Every night I prayed that we would return to Gotha soon. But day after day, my brother and I were told that we had to wait a bit longer for our parents to get us.
One afternoon, my brother and our new friends were at the nearby playground with a group of other children. I was gently swinging back and forth, dreaming of playing with Anneliese, when a boy I had never met started pushing me. At first, I didn’t mind. Then despite my protests, he pushed me higher and higher. My screams to stop seemed to entice him to push even harder and higher. I was terrified of the dizzying height and the unrelenting forceful behaviour of the big boy who seemed to delight in my distress. Suddenly, I lost control and fell flat onto the ground face first. The fall knocked the wind out of me, and I struggled for a long time to gasp for air. Suddenly it was very quiet on the playground. All the kids had run away except my brother and our friends. They stood around me, looking worried. Luckily, I was not seriously hurt. However, my faith in the kindness of people in the Golden West was shaken. I had never met such a mean bully at home.
Miraculously, the following day our hosts told us that our parents were on their way to get us.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 
I bet that boy didn’t think far ahead about what could happen. Lucky that it turned out okay.
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What an experience, in finding the reality of the pros and cons of the “freedom,” of the West. I am glad you were not physically hurt long term from the bully. But it sounds like a traumatic incident. Biene, thank you for sharing. Blessings!
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I passed your kind comment on to Biene, who always appreciates your response to her story. Thank you!
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You are welcome!
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I must have missed something. When were they separated from their parents? Did i miss a post?
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Mother Panknin travelled with the two children to West Germany to visit an aunt. Papa Panknin had to stay behind to guarantee that his family would come back. He took a train to Berlin, where it was still possible to cross over to West Berlin. There the parents met in order to apply for refugee status, while the children stayed with friends in Dortmund.
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Thanks, Peter. Somehow I missed a post.
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I am with you on the swing, Biene
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I wonder if it was just happenstance that the unhappy playground incident took place in the west, given that human nature is common to everyone.
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Being separated from one’s parents has a profound impact on how we see and judge the world.
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I think the big boy had also experienced similar things in his childhood, otherwise he would not have tortured Bee.
Overwhelmingly, it came to the reunion with the parents the next day.
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Ich habe als Kind auch die Erfahrung machen müssen, dass erschreckende Erlebnisse sich tief in das Gedächtnis eingraben.. Du warst noch so jung und dann von Deinen Eltern mit Deinem Bruder Walter getrennt. Natürlich muß Dich das gemeine Verhalten dieses Jungen auf dem Spielplatz noch darin bestärkt haben, wieder nach Hause und zu Mutter und Vater zu wollen…Da ist es wirklich ein glücklicher Zufall gewesen, daß Deine Eltern endlich auf dem Weg zu Euch waren..
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Auch ich teile mit Biene ähnliche furchtbare Erfahrungen, die ich als Kind gemacht habe. Am schlimmsten war die Zeit bei meinen Pflegeeltern, wo ich mehrere male brutal verprügelt und in eine dunkle Kammer eingesperrt wurde. Wie sehr hatte ich mir gewünscht, wieder mit meinen Eltern zu sein!
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I suppose there is no perfect system. Perhaps the bully’s parents were both at work trying to make enough to buy the goodies the society dangled in front of them. In the East, perhaps his parents, not under the same pressure to earn and buy, might have been around to check his behaviour. Of course, these are just idle thoughts of mine.
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Children do not yet live their lives along political orientations. As long as they feel loved, and secure and can romp around freely, they thrive in any system.
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