The sentiment among German politicians and officials carries a tinge of economic confidence with a sense of parental duty to provide the euro zone with strong governing support even if this does not make their methods popular in Europe.
However, the kids don't like it. Some of them, such as Cypriots, Greeks, Italians and Spaniards, openly resent "Mutti" (mother), as Chancellor Angela Merkel is privately called. Others, like the French, will just sulk.
The subtext is that since the Germans are the main sources of the European Union, they will lose the most in the event of the collapse of the monetary union. Therefore, they are forced to help their partners reduce their deficits by implementing reforms and avoiding mistakes that could contribute to the fall of the euro. German leaders would like to remind you that ten years ago their own country was portrayed on the cover of The Economist as the "sick man of Europe" for its ineffective bureaucracy and low competitiveness.
Some European partners and many economists believe that a recipe for synchronized budget spending across Europe, deepening recession and rising unemployment, could turn the crisis into a social and political tsunami. There is a strong prospect that the reaction to Germany's austerity policies will fill the European Parliament with a huge number of skeptics and political radicals next year.
Faced with increasingly rebellious children, Mutti may end up with a difficult choice between a family breakdown or a lot of financial support from poor relatives.
