INDIGO GIRLS, AND BOYS
Book says Indigo kids may have telepathic or psychic abilities
KELLER -- When asked about an upcoming school project, 7-year-old Madison doesn't just tell, she must show.
She pulls on a judge's robe and opens her biography report, "Wanted for Judge," about former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Standing in the middle of her living room, she begins to present her report.
"We don't have to read all of it," her mother says after a few minutes, as she reaches for the report.
Madison ignores her mother, sets her jaw, sidesteps away and continues reading.
She is precocious, stubborn and smart.
And, according to her mother, she is an "Indigo Child."
The term "Indigo" has been used since the late '90s to describe smart, willful children who some believe are destined to teach the world about honesty, love and tolerance. They have strong behavior patterns, say proponents of the label, and some say they have unusual and striking dark-blue auras. Indigo Children are coming more into the public consciousness through a series of books and a feature film. Here and across the nation, groups of adult Indigos have begun to meet in bookstores and Internet chat rooms.
The nature of Indigo Children causes them to be labeled as hyperactive troublemakers who prefer to be treated like adults, according to the 1999 book The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived, by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober.
The authors assert that Indigos bore easily, leading them to be arrogant or mischievous. They often crave attention and recognition. The authors also say that these children don't respond to traditional discipline, which has little effect on improving how they behave.
"They will quickly notice if they have the power to make adults yell and scream with just one little smirk," the authors write. "Furthermore, if they are sent home, that is the best reward, since they don't have to complete schoolwork and may even get to watch TV or play video games."
The book also states that Indigo Children may have "powers," including telepathic or psychic ability, and that some may have come from a previous life or another planet.
Educators and psychologists have dismissed the theory and have suggested that parents are using it as an excuse not to discipline their children or acknowledge problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
According to Mike Sayler, associate dean in the College of Education at the University of North Texas, many of the children labeled as Indigo are no more than smart children taking advantage of permissive parents.
"The characteristics of Indigo Children are all characteristics of gifted kids," said Sayler, a specialist in gifted children and adults.
They have above-average abilities, thoughtfulness, high energy, sensitivity. They read and speak well. They say what's on their minds. Some are nonconformists.
"What the label is doing is excusing bad behavior," Sayler said. "Giftedness should never be an excuse or rationale for lack of character or lack of self-discipline. Sometimes it's easier to point the finger somewhere else than it is to ourselves as parents, ourselves as educators, or even ourselves as human beings."
Sayler worries that the Indigo label could be damaging to the children, who, he said, will likely grow up to be cold, callous and emotionally fragile.
It's not surprising that parents of students found to have ADHD have adopted the Indigo label, Sayler said. The list of characteristics of a child with ADHD mirrors the list of characteristics of a highly gifted child -- and now of Indigo Children.
"It's easier to give something an excuse of, 'It's out of my control,' than to say that we as parents have to do something," Sayler said. "It's not an explanation that has any scientific background."
Nancy Ann Tappe, a parapsychologist who contributed to Carroll and Tober's book, said Indigo Children are into technology and are "more head than heart." These characteristics can be extreme, she said, adding that 90 percent of children under age 10 are Indigos.
"In some cases, environmental training has so blocked them that sometimes these children kill," Tappe said in the book. "These young children -- every one of them I've seen thus far who kill their schoolmates or parents -- have been Indigos."
Neither of the authors, nor Tappe, responded to repeated e-mails and faxes seeking an interview.
Madison's mother, who wants to be unidentified to protect her daughter, said that when her daughter, who is adopted, was 18 months old, she told her mother that angels and God put them together. She also said they were together in a previous life.
"She would talk about things we did before we lived here," her mother said. "But we've always lived here."
And Madison can read people well, she said.
"If somebody tells a lie to her, she backs away and doesn't want anything to do with them," she said.
But Madison, a second-grader, is also a normal child.
Her favorite color is purple. She likes science and art, drawing animals and angels. There are times, however, that she seems wiser than her 7 years.
"My friend, she dresses like she's a lot older," Madison said after school one recent afternoon. "She's growing up way too fast. She saw The Ring II. She thinks she's a teenager. And one time, when she came over, she did not have manners."
Parents of Indigo Children often say their children seem to have "old souls," and act more mature than their age.
"These children are coming in with a clean mind," said Antoinette Moltzan, a Keller author who does spiritual readings. "It's meant to be. It's a form of evolving."
That's an idea that Randy Hudson agrees with. Hudson, the chairman of the board of trustees of Unity Church of Arlington, said his church welcomes Indigo Children with open arms.
When Indigo, an independent movie about the children, was released in 2003, it was screened at the church. A second movie, the 2005 documentary The Indigo Evolution, may also be shown.
"These children come into this world knowing much more about who they are in a spiritual sense," Hudson said. "They have an important role in creating a new world."
Hudson said his church provides information to parents and the community about Indigo Children.
Julie Winnette, director and owner of Hilltop Montessori School in Denton, is not as easily convinced that the children really do possess powers and strange spiritual destinies.
"It's something that I'm still curious about, and I haven't really decided," she said.
Montessori schools are advertised in Indigo circles as good environments for Indigo Children. The schools are less structured, allowing children to work at their own pace and be more independent than in a typical public school environment.
In her 18 years of Montessori education, Winnette said she's had a couple of parents say their children were Indigos.
"One was a child who was actually having some real challenges at school," Winnette said, adding that the boy was later found to have Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. "His mom just saw him as approaching life in a different way."
Winnette agrees that children are evolving, becoming more spiritual and empathetic. But she isn't sure they should be classified as mystical Indigo Children.
Moltzan said she understands people's reluctance to accept the label.
There have always been intelligent children and child prodigies, she said. But Indigo Children go beyond the normal concept of a "gifted" child.
"Indigos have more of a spiritual perspective," she said. "And they seem to have a strong need to help other people. They have an angelic nature. They come to families or to people who truly need to know how to love or how to have passion."
That's the mission of Indigo Children, according to Carroll and Tober. They are here to raise spiritual awareness in the world.
"They come to help teach other people the meaning of love," Moltzan said.
IN THE KNOW
INDIGO CHILDREN
According to the book The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived, the 10 common traits to every Indigo Child are:
They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it).
They have a feeling of "deserving to be here" and are surprised when others don't share that.
Self-worth is not a big issue. They often tell the parents "who they are."
They have difficulty with absolute authority (authority without explanation or choice).
They won't do certain things; for example, waiting in line is difficult for them.
They get frustrated with systems that are ritual-oriented and don't require creative thought.
They often see better ways of doing things, both at home and in school, which makes them seem like "system busters" (nonconforming to any system).
They seem antisocial unless they are with others like them. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.
They will not respond to "guilt" discipline. (Wait until your father gets home and finds out what you did.)
They are not shy about letting you know what they need.
Source: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/14376774.htm
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