The "Indigo Child" Woo Movement

Just this past weekend, Mrs. JHunter1163 and I were visiting with relatives when one of the youngsters announced to us all, "I'm gifted. I'm the smartest kid in fourth grade. I can beat anyone in this room at Trivial Pursuit."

I just smiled and said "Oh really? Let's play."

Mrs. JHunter1163 took me aside and said "Don't do it. Don't crush his ego."

Gifted Boy's mom then took me aside and said "You know, he could use a lesson in humility."

A lesson in humility was duly delivered to Gifted Boy. Afterwards, I told him, "You know, you did pretty good. You should keep reading and keep learning so you can get better. Maybe when we come down here next year you'll be able to beat me."

Gifted Boy just smiled and said "I'll get you next year, Uncle John."

I agree with the general consensus here that telling kids they're gifted/special just leads to a bunch of little narcissists.
 
One of my "friend" is up to her ears into this kind of woo. It allows her not to discipline (or treat - I don't know whether little Agrippine is just a spoiled brat or has further problems) her little monster and to foist her on innocent bystanders, teachers, friends, and family. I've clearly told her that, should her actually be a future saviour of humankind, I wasn't going to tolerate her ordering me around in my own house, and generally making herself unbearable to my family and guests while her mother is telling us how marvellous she is.

They obviously hate me because I don't fall for their pretenses at being special, but most of all because the other children, and the parents, count on me for protection against their woo and the abuse the little monster would perform on them when I'm not around ...

Most parents don't dare confront them ("I wouldn't want to sever the friendship ..." What friendship ? that pest is using them to feel important and doesn't care about the mayhem her daughter is causing) but are grateful to me for doing so ... cowards and idiots, the lot of them.
 
Foolmewunz said:
I think most over here admit, though, that they're little Princes (and a number of little Princesses), and are ultimately just spoiled brats rather than touched by the hand of the woo gods.
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I dunno about that. Most who are not the parents of the next Mozart/Galileo will admit this, but those who happened to spawn Asian super children flirt with psudeoscientific eugenics woo that rivals the Indigo BS. (Well maybe not that weather manipultion shiz...but more of the "mainstream" crap like "my child always feels like he's in charge/his talents are being sqaundered/flings feces at me. What a gifted and superior lil rascal!")
 
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SatanicSheep said:
I dunno about that. Most who are not the parents of the next Mozart/Galileo will admit this, but those who happened to spawn Asian super children flirt with psudeoscientific eugenics woo that rivals the Indigo BS. (Well maybe not that weather manipultion shiz...but more of the "mainstream" crap like "my child always feels like he's in charge/his talents are being sqaundered/flings feces at me. What a gifted and superior lil rascal!")
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I don't care how smart my kids think they are (and believe me, they DO think I'm the stupidest person on earth sometimes). In my house, I'm running the show. Well, actually, Mrs. JHunter1163 runs the show, but the point is that it is most assuredly not the child who is in charge.
 
Flo said:
Most parents don't dare confront them ("I wouldn't want to sever the friendship ..." What friendship ? that pest is using them to feel important and doesn't care about the mayhem her daughter is causing) but are grateful to me for doing so ... cowards and idiots, the lot of them.
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This is the bottom line in all this nonsense; parents who want to be friends with their children because they lack the self discipline to be parents.
 
Soapy Sam said:
This is the bottom line in all this nonsense; parents who want to be friends with their children because they lack the self discipline to be parents.
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There's that, but I was thinking of the kind of people who lack the courage to confront nonsense and intolerable behavior because they fear to be called close-minded.
 
scarlettinlondon said:
They are telling teachers not to discipline their children in schools as their children are not defiant/naughty, just being Indigo and fulfilling their destiny and their worst offences must be nurtured as evidence of their superiority.
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If that were a good argument, then the mere fact that the universe is deterministic would be used as an excuse for everything.

"Look, I didn't have a choice, right ? My past states made me do it!"
 
Foolmewunz said:
I think most over here admit, though, that they're little Princes (and a number of little Princesses), and are ultimately just spoiled brats rather than touched by the hand of the woo gods.
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I 1000% agree. Some behavior of the Indigo Children might be due to disease or mental problems, but most are kids who realise that their parents buying into the Indigo bullcrap has just given them a licence to be obnoxious without fear of punishment.
 
LightinDarkness said:
I have a friend who is now absolutely convinced their 10 year old is a indigo, and the kid loves it - she can get away with whatever she wants by claiming she needs to do something to harness "vibrations" or some other woo based excuse.
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I despair for this kid's future.

~~ Paul
 
dudalb said:
I 1000% agree. Some behavior of the Indigo Children might be due to disease or mental problems, but most are kids who realise that their parents buying into the Indigo bullcrap has just given them a licence to be obnoxious without fear of punishment.
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Hmm? While I agree with the outcome, I'm not sure that that's completely right. I'm thinking that the kids probably don't even know they're being obnoxious. They get so indulged that they just think that it's natural that they should be able to reach across the table and take someone else's pudding. (I had that happen once in New York many years ago.)

I'm hungry. Pudding good. Mom always lets me have everything I want. I take. You let two and three year olds get away with this sort of anti-social ineptness for long and they'll continue into their next age groups quite oblivious to the world around them.

I think all parents want to believe that their kid(s) is(are) special. (That's why I started the thread in FC for Annoying Parents.) The problem is that some parents have the inability to understand that they are special and individual and wonderful,... without having to be in some newly coined unique category. They're special unto themselves. Parents should learn to live with it.
 
Foolmewunz said:
How much do you value the relationship... as opposed to, say, sanity?

I was not aware upon initial reading that you were saying that they actually believe their little precious has weather-changing abilities. Is this correct?
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The mother does - she's divorced really doesn't have any contact with the father. If I knew the father well enough I'd probably try to bring him in to see if he couldn't talk some sense into them, but he was just an acquaintance.

I am not entirely sure the child really believes this - I suspect she may be making up powers in order to justify to her mother why she needs to do whatever she wants. But the mother does appear to really believe in it - which is why this is so shocking for me, since I thought of her previously as a critical thinker - apparently I was 100% wrong!

I don't know if this is a power the mother mentioned or the child mentioned first though, so it could be quite possible the parent thought of it and then the child latched on to it. I haven't been able to determine the directional relationship of who is thinking of the woo and influencing the other. The child in this case may be a child but she is quite smart for her age (apart from the woo, obviously) and I can see the potential to be manipulative if she thinks her mom will fall right in line with it.

I agree it is insane...
 
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A 14-year old girl who believed her mum when she told her she was an indigo child was posting at Skeptical Community a couple of years ago. She eventually seemed to renounce her beliefs. Not a bad thread, as far as SC threads go. ;)

http://skepticalcommunity.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=8161

One does fear for these "indigo children" when they grow up. Hopefully, like most teenagers, they start to doubt what their parents tell them and they get some grasp on reality.
 
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