“Indigo” ! What does colour have to do
with children? Aren’t they colourful without being named after any colours!
I
came across a little boy of 9, who was so bright and a mind of his own. He
would take his own decisions! He would ask so many questions which generally
are not asked by that age group. “Authoritarianism”, wouldn’t work with this
child, it was only rationalization which would make him to listen! He was so
empathetic, that just for a small mistake of his, he wrote a beautiful apology
letter, without anyone telling him. On the lopside, the same child would go
berserk and get violent without much reason!
He was difficult to be managed in the class by his class teacher. He was
always a challenge for the teachers as he did not want to write if he didn’t
want to! But would get 95% in all his
tests and exams; ask a question he would be ready with the answer though busily
talking with his friends. He had adjustment issues, always kept changing
friends. He use to run out of the class and hide and would say it was for fun,
he was so full of energy that others could not be par with him. He wouldn’t sit in his place for a second. Poor
teachers thought he had ADHD and sent him to the counsellor………
These
kinds of children are increasing in today’s classrooms which are becoming a
greater challenge for teachers and parents; you might also would have come
across such children only to think “What an undisciplined kid!” But, if you see
with the insight of the indigo children, you might understand the reality
behind this new breed or evolved children! And as teachers and parents we ought
to know about them. The term “ Indigo Children” was initiated by Tappe and popularised by Tober and Carroll in
1970s, till they spoke about these children the world was not aware of such an
evolution. Basically, Indigo children, according to a pseudoscientific New Age theory, are children who are believed to possess special,
unusual and sometimes supernatural traits or abilities (Wikipedia). It is interpreted that they possess
paranormal behaviours. Although no scientific studies give credibility to the
existence of indigo children or their traits, the phenomenon appeals to some
parents whose children have been diagnosed with learning
disabilities and to
parents seeking to believe that their children are special. Whedon
believes parents label their children as "indigo" to provide an
alternative explanation for their children's improper behaviour stemming from
ADD and ADHD. They are as well linked with autism and other learning disorders.
Well, before concluding anything a lot of research ought to go into it.
What ever maybe the reality it is true
there are children who are being different from the normative ones and it is
important for us to know about the characteristics of the so called “indigo”.
They could be identified with the following traits:
·
The belief that they are empathetic, curious, strong-willed, independent, and often perceived by friends and family as
being strange
·
Possess a clear sense of self-definition and
purpose
·
Exhibit a strong innate sub-conscious spirituality
from early childhood (which, however, does not necessarily imply a direct
interest in spiritual or religious areas)
·
A strong feeling of entitlement, or "deserving
to be here."
·
Resistance to rigid, control-based paradigms of
authority.
·
Some of them might have speech related and
socialization issues.
According to Tober and Carroll, these
children may function poorly in conventional schools due to their rejection of
rigid authority, being smarter (or more spiritually mature) than their
teachers, and a lack of response to guilt-, fear- or manipulation-based
discipline. Yet another school of thought acknowledges that there is not
scientific belief (Doreen Virtue and James Twyman). Further, Retired professor of
philosophy and skeptic Robert Todd Carroll notes that many of the
commentators on the indigo phenomenon are of varying qualifications and
expertise, and parents may prefer labeling their child an indigo as an
alternative to a diagnosis that implies imperfection, damage or mental
illness a belief echoed by academic psychologists. Autism researcher
Mitzi Waltz also seconds the above idea and states “"Parents may also
transmit belief systems to the child that are self-aggrandizing, confusing, or
potentially frightening.” Crystal
Those
who are more interested to know about the Indigos should watch the documentary “The Indigo Evolution Full
Length Documentary Indigo children” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvriVUk_5A
) which throws a lot of insight into nurturing
these children!
