It's A Big Mystery
I've been mired down with horrible headaches and sleepless nights, due to the kids and husband all being sick and giving it to me.
Thank you. Thank you VERY much.
I took the kids to school today. My daughter was well enough, certainly. My son, not so much, but he begged to go. After weeks of enduring him begging to stay home, I didn't need to be asked twice.
I have been re-reading Raising Your Spirited Child, looking for clues and methods to try with my son. He's responding well to constant positive praise, but as his teacher noted, sometimes it is exhausting to be a cheerleader all damn day. "Yay! You're really sitting quietly! Yay! You're keeping your hands still! Yay!"
Woooo.
My girls also have 'spirited' personalities, but a different approach seems to be required to reach each child. This truly is exhausting, but I'm working on my mantra "No, Spirited isn't just another way of saying Pain In The Duckus."
This weekend's newspaper brought a little gem of a concept to my attention: Indigo Children.
Who knew? I didn't know about this. It seems that the 'markers' for an Indigo Child are all present in my children. Apparently, they are present in something like 90% of all children, today.
I can't say "third-eye chakra" without choking on a surpressed laugh, nor can I see auras. I suspect that many of the parents of these "Indigo Children" cannot see auras either, and are relying on this checklist of traits to determine their child's Indigo status. These are New Age children, born to New Age parents...yet I am not sure that 90% of children in the world qualify as the information claims.
New Age crystals and gongs don't really inspire me to new spiritual heights, but there is a lot to enjoy in the Indigo Child label. In fact, there are plenty of adults who are well outside the twenty-year time frame who are also claiming the Indigo label for themselves. They, apparently, are scouts, sent to assess the readiness of the planet for the coming of the Indigos.
These kids are going to SAVE THE PLANET! And bring around MASS REFORM of our social, economic and political structures. Their lack of conformity will force these changes, and their warrior spirit will bring about WORLD PEACE!
This is starting to sound better than calling my kids "spirited." If they are Indigos, the disruptive behavior exhibited by "spirited" children is just further proof of their higher evolution. I would love to drop that particular bomb on my daughter's teacher. "She can't be expected to finish her math worksheet on time. Her Indigo nature cannot be denied."
Apparently, there is a 'new' breed, the Crystal Children, who are just being born. These kids are joyful, and have all of the peace-making and harmonious qualities, and none of the warrior spirit. Now, why did I have to have garden variety Indigos, when I could have had some front-runners for the next evolution?
I'm trying to keep an open mind, here, but this smacks of wishful thinking. What parent doesn't want to believe that they are raising a special, gifted child? We want our children to change the world, to make it better...and if these stats are to be believed, most of the children born in the last two decades are destined to do just that.
I just don't see it, yet. My native optimism is lacking on this Indigo business.
No, I'm going to stick with "spirited" for now, and we'll go from there.
Comments
BWAAAHHAAAAHAAAAA. HEEE HOoo. Oh gawd, I haven't laughed that hard in ages. And though you are all that is wonderful and hilarious, the laughter was the result of clicking on your link to Indigo Children quiz. Raise the vibration of the planet...heeeeheeehooohooohaa.
For the record, I have a "gifted" 11 year old. So far, her greatest gift is being a giant pain in the you-know-what. That was said with love.
Posted by: Jenn2 | January 24, 2006 12:36 PM
So you are saying just because my daughter thinks she is in charge of everyone she won't take over the world? Huh.
And what parent doesn't think their child is intellignet?
Or at least what parent would admit it?
Posted by: Sarah | January 24, 2006 1:19 PM
So - it's probably a bad sign that I just spelled intelligent wrong isn't it?
Posted by: Sarah | January 24, 2006 1:19 PM
yeeeeeah. I like to say that Ben has CAS. Chronic Asshole Syndrome. Where's my grant? Where's my ribbon for my car?
Now, back to Nice Mommy: Are you re-reading Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's "Spirited Child"? b/c I really don't remember her as a cheerleader. In my Positive Discipline group (my imaginary friends), we all adore Mary, but we're not much on the empty praise. More like, "Thanks for sitting on your hands, bud. It keeps mommy's head from popping off." "You know, I really appreciated that you held it together when I said you couldn't have a slurpee at Target. You may continue to live with us another day." Or maybe I'm remembering wrong.
Posted by: Deana | January 24, 2006 4:59 PM
Mwa ha ha ha ha! Indigo children, huh? Yes, my 16-year old is definitely raising vibrations... but not of the planet. Of the headache she's given me for that past decade and a half... I love her dearly but if you look in the dictionary under "challenge" there's a 4-colour pic of her...
Posted by: Dawn | January 24, 2006 6:09 PM
You don't get it, dear Jenny, because you are obviously in denial. You feel cheated that your children are only Indigo Spirits. From my perspective, however (that of the parent of a Cleary Crystal Child), your denial is...undeniable.
Posted by: Katrina Stonoff | January 24, 2006 7:27 PM
I too am reading the Spirited Child book. Sounds like a lot of damn work, if you ask me.
Love the CAS comment! I wonder what my DS's pediatrician would say if I told him I thought my kid has that?!
I feel for you, Jenny! I'm right there with ya, reading along!
Posted by: Shanonn | January 24, 2006 8:32 PM
Well, it certainly is creative in it's approach to putting a positive spin on ADHD! HaHa! My two boys could be deemed "spirited", especially the oldest. Too funny a post!
Posted by: The Cake Lady | January 25, 2006 7:43 AM
I love this post and comments. I especially love CAS - oohhh so funny. I think my child has CAS with a side of LSS (little shit syndrome). Maybe someone should write a book... Raising your LS child or dealing with CAS. ha ha. At least it would be more accurate. I also have read raising your spirited child and frankly I think I yell more because I am trying so damn hard to remember the right way to handle a situation that I get frustrated and just yell and send him to his room so I can prevent my brain from exploding.
Posted by: mama_bean | January 25, 2006 10:24 AM
I can't even get past the endless cries of "Juice! Juice! Juice!" to think that either of my kids is going to save our planet or be at the forefront of anything other than the line at the cosmic juice stand.
Posted by: Mary | January 25, 2006 9:31 PM
I like that book. But my fave is "The Out of Sync" child. I also like the "Edison Trait", cuase I secretly hope that she is going to invent nucleu fusion and I can flip off the whole special Ed TEAM!!
I assumed it was all the highbrow coffee I persisted on drinking while pregnant. Oh, and the crack.
Posted by: Dawn | January 26, 2006 8:05 AM
You all have it wrong.
Wouldn't it be nice if "indigo" meant what the new age culture wants it to!?
Too bad!
I guess it could be interpreted to mean higher enlightenment.
But if simply preffering truth over lies that make you feel better means enlightenment, what does that say about YOU?
This is insanity!
Indigos aren't here to show YOU the way!
They aren't here to "heal emotional wounds", or bring mankind to a higher state.
Placing unreal expectations on children is EVIL!!!
You are ALL such a selfish species! That's what's unreal!!!
Posted by: glaston | March 26, 2007 9:12 PM