Fiona Erdmann and her partner wanted to get married, but then left it. In an interview, Fiona explains why Moe “doesn’t really need to ask anymore”, why they argue about raising children and when the couple can imagine having more offspring.
During her second Dubai vacation in 2017, Fiona Erdmann, 34, in a beach restaurant know the current father of their two children Leo, 3, and Neyla, 1. Mohamed, called Moe, was her greatest support after the death of her mother Luzie and the accidental death of her first husband. In the GALA interview, the content creator, who has lived in Dubai since 2018, reveals how she envisions her wedding, when and under what conditions she would like to have another child and on which topic things are going to fly between them.
Fiona Erdmann: “Moe is not the one who offers me his help around the house”
GALA: You recently went on a long six-week trip through Germany, had 120 kilos of luggage with you, you washed 28 machines. A crazy act! How did your husband support you?
Fiona Erdman: Moe isn’t the type to help with packing. He doesn’t really have these structures. He would just throw everything in the suitcase and then we would look for each other stupid and stupid. I have to do all that. Moe has other qualities. (laughs)
Does a lot in the relationship depend on you – such as care work?
Moe also does a lot, but he does other things, takes care of our business a lot or looks after our children, for example when I packed or washed my suitcase during our trip to Germany. There are a few things, especially around the house, that I only want to do because I know that it means less stress for me. I could let him do a lot, but I would have more work afterwards. That’s why I prefer to do it myself. At the end of the day, he’s also a man. He’s not the one offering to help me around the house. If he notices that everything is going well, then he stays seated. I have to assign him tasks, but we all have them.
We work well as a team. I’m more responsible for all the household stuff, but he’s often at his laptop until 2am, taking care of our emails and collaborations.
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What is your secret recipe for a successful partnership?
We accept each other as a couple as we are and don’t constantly bitch and try to change each other. This is our recipe for success: we accept each other as we are.
“We wanted to get married. Then we left it”
And what exactly defines you as a team?
Moe is the absolute business man. He originally comes from the marketing area, I’m a trained design assistant, I’m now a successful content creator, and I’ve been running the business with Moe for a year and a half, who is very committed. That’s important for me because I’m also very ambitious and he can really push me there. His character is rather relaxed and calm. He is always very reserved with his feelings and emotions. I’m exactly the opposite, I’m loud, I like to bubble over. Here, too, we complement each other perfectly. Moe is good at getting me down to earth. This is also a great mix for our kids. I’m always the one who dances with the little ones and does crazy things and Moe is more the strict and straightforward part who sometimes speaks a word of power.
Do you already have more specific ideas about the wedding?
We definitely want to get married, but our life needs to be less stressful. Between what’s going on with our business right now, the renovations, the little kids, I can’t plan a wedding as well. We wanted to get married when I got pregnant again with Neyla, but then we left it. The timing just isn’t right now, but it will happen eventually.
This is what Fiona’s big day should look like
What do you wish for at your wedding?
It should definitely be something special and I would like to let myself be creative here, as with many things in my life. It doesn’t have to be huge or extremely expensive. It’s the details that make a wedding special. But even if I want to have a say in decisions myself, I need a team at my side to help me implement everything.
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But you don’t have a ring on your finger yet. Is getting engaged still important to you?
I would wish for that, but Moe just isn’t the romantic type. Since we’ve always talked about getting married at some point, it’s a normal part of our plan for the future.
He doesn’t really need to ask any more, he knows anyway that I’ll say “yes”. (laughs)
But I would be happy for the moment. And I would like him to make a little effort, I’ve told him that a few times.
Moe has “very different perspectives” on raising children than Fiona
Where is your biggest point of friction?
The topic of education is the biggest point of friction for us, because Moe has completely different perspectives on it than I do. I think it’s because of his upbringing and Muslim background, which is very different from mine. I’m the one who thinks very psychologically, I always explain everything to my children in great detail and I sit down, so I put myself on their level. It’s important to me that they can admit their feelings and show that they understand that crying is important or that being angry is a normal feeling. I then show compassion and understanding for their feelings. I deal a lot with how my little ones think and what is important for their development. Moe thinks I’m too soft, let everything go, so that at some point our children will dance on my nose.
He says: ‘It doesn’t work that way. At some point our son hits you and you say: Let your feelings run free.’
Moe is a super loving and warm father, but doesn’t let himself be fooled. He sometimes puts his foot down, but thinks it’s okay if our son watches YouTube on the iPad and eats chocolate. Again, I don’t like that. But maybe our differences in upbringing are a good thing. Perhaps our children need these contrasts.
“I could imagine having a third child, but only…”
Can you imagine another child?
I could imagine having a third child, but only when Leo and Neyla are a bit older and can understand why I don’t have time for them right now. It’s hard to explain to a three-year-old why you have time for your little sister but not him. I cannot divide my love and affection between three children at such a young age as I imagine and wish. I wouldn’t do justice to myself as a mother. So I prefer to wait a little longer. Maybe in two to three years, when Leo is five or six years old, then I could imagine that.