# What are crystal & indigo kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794 "2005-02-12T22:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/21 "2005-02-13T03:27:45Z")
> [@bodypoet](#): > > My local paper recently published an article about a local woman who believes her child to be an Indigo Child. One way we know he’s Indigo: When he was small, she reports, and someone told him “No” he would fall down screaming, because he just couldn’t tolerate his freedom being restricted. Very sensitive, apparently. Yeah, nothing quite beats the crap that the H-T prints on a slow news day. I read the article and couldn’t believe that they dedicated that many lines to such utter garbage. In a way I sort of felt sorry for the kid. I imagine that, even at Harmony School, he’s probably in for a little bit of ass kicking in the near future after that piece. I’m thinking that a lot of people are mis-diagnosing their kids as “indigo children” when they should be diagnosing themselves as poor parents. Luckily there aren’t too many people who believe in this – I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/22 "2005-02-13T03:45:02Z")
Why “indigo?” Because that’s the color on the brat’s face when someone tells them “No?” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/23 "2005-02-13T03:57:02Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Why “indigo?” Because that’s the color on the brat’s face when someone tells them “No?” It’s allegedly the color of their alleged _aura_, apparently… ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/24 "2005-02-13T04:16:45Z")
This gives a new coloring to the word “indignation.” ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/25 "2005-02-13T08:00:01Z")
> [@Danalan](#): > > I have it from a good source that a black aura is very bad – it means that the person is near death. Dark grey is not much better. Robert R McCammon Mystery Walk? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/26 "2005-02-13T20:35:51Z")
> [@bodypoet](#): > > My local paper recently published an article about a local woman who believes her child to be an Indigo Child. One way we know he’s Indigo: When he was small, she reports, and someone told him “No” he would fall down screaming, because he just couldn’t tolerate his freedom being restricted. Very sensitive, apparently. That’s not indigo, that’s just the Terrible Two’s. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/27 "2005-02-13T21:49:44Z")
I think I remember a TV broadcast about these “indigo” children. If I’m not mistaken, that’s not just yet another new age bullshit, it’s also a scam involving mostly separating parents from their money. So, beware… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/28 "2005-02-13T22:32:05Z")
Related GQ thread from 2002: [Indigo Children](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=146578&highlight=indigo) ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/29 "2005-02-13T23:14:39Z")
> [@Guy Incognito](#): > > Yeah, nothing quite beats the crap that the H-T prints on a slow news day. I read the article and couldn’t believe that they dedicated that many lines to such utter garbage. Heh. At least THAT one was in the middle of the paper somewhere. Today’s was on the front page, and was about a “certified intuitive counselor” and pet psychic. He charges $25 for 15 minutes and he had about 12 appointments the day they interviewed him. I’m in the wrong business. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/30 "2005-02-13T23:48:22Z")
**clairobscur** , that definitely looks so from here – and from the shelf-space dedicated to it in the “self help” section. If I observed this one… > [@](#): > > 1. They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often let no other human understand them. School is extremely difficult for them socially. …I’d hope it just meant they’re headed for full-blown geekdom; I’d be terrified it could signal Asperger’s, and be untreated under cover of indigosity. I was definitely not Indigo. I responded to guilt- and fear-based control from the parents with, well, guilt and fear, in abundance. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/31 "2005-02-14T00:13:08Z")
I used to be really into the Indigo Kids. _Rites of Passage_ and _Swamp Ophelia_ are probably my favorite albums of theirs, because they came out just as I was getting into IK, but for something a little edgier, check out _Nomads, Indians and Saints_. There are also a few gems on their eponymous debut (don’t judge it by the vastly overrated _Closer To Fine_). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/32 "2005-02-14T00:15:30Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It’s allegedly the color of their alleged _aura_, apparently… I know, but I think my explanation makes more sense. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/33 "2005-02-14T00:19:25Z")
> [@](#): > > My local paper recently published an article about a local woman who believes her child to be an Indigo Child. One way we know he’s Indigo: When he was small, she reports, and someone told him “No” he would fall down screaming, because he just couldn’t tolerate his freedom being restricted. Very sensitive, apparently. I would occasionally do this when I was a kid, and my aura was definitely indigo for while afterwards. Now that I think about it, though, it was more of a black and purple than an indigo. And it wasn’t my aura, it was my ass. Same thing, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/34 "2005-02-14T04:07:35Z")
> [@bodypoet](#): > > Heh. At least THAT one was in the middle of the paper somewhere. Today’s was on the front page, and was about a “certified intuitive counselor” and pet psychic. He charges $25 for 15 minutes and he had about 12 appointments the day they interviewed him. > > I’m in the wrong business. Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…lets open up our own pet phychic business. _Mr. Tibbles is mad at you for switching his kitty litter again._ _Roscoe is suffering terribly when he is not allowed to come on the family car trips. He feels excluded and not a member of the family anymore._ I think I am on to something here. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/35 "2005-02-14T06:19:21Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Robert R McCammon Mystery Walk? Um, no. Never heard of him, or his book. I’m not at liberty to reveal my source, but suffice it to say that not everyone who can see aura’s is entirely comfortable with, or exploits that ability. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/36 "2005-02-14T07:07:54Z")
> [@Danalan](#): > > Um, no. Never heard of him, or his book. [Great read](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0030618320/qid=1108365253/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4116824-1566530?v=glance&s=books) It’s a very hard book to describe without making it sound like crap. A boy discovers that he is the latest in a long line of mystics. A haunted carnival ride demands human sacrifice. A mad billionare watches snuff films, obsesses over germs, and hungers for power over death itself. And all of that is written extremely well. > [@](#): > > I’m not at liberty to reveal my source, but suffice it to say that not everyone who can see aura’s is entirely comfortable with, or exploits that ability. That would help explain why we have no scientific proof that anybody can see aruas. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/37 "2005-02-14T14:39:59Z")
> [@bodypoet](#): > > Heh. At least THAT one was in the middle of the paper somewhere. Today’s was on the front page, and was about a “certified intuitive counselor” and pet psychic. He charges $25 for 15 minutes and he had about 12 appointments the day they interviewed him. > > I’m in the wrong business. I saw that one, too. This time I did the right thing and avoided reading the article entirely. I think our local paper gets a little too infatuated with the minor celebrities and eccentrics that live around here. Anyway, back on topic. The list that Wile E. posted sounds like what you would expect out of a typical kid regardless of when they were born. The difference is that parents of “indigo” children don’t understand that while each child is unique and special (to their parents, anyway), it doesn’t imply that they are necessarily on some higher path of human development. Encouraging your kids is fine, but you should also temper that with discipline and common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/38 "2005-02-14T15:01:38Z")
> [@Guy Incognito](#): > > I saw that one, too. This time I did the right thing and avoided reading the article entirely. I think our local paper gets a little too infatuated with the minor celebrities and eccentrics that live around here. > > Anyway, back on topic. The list that Wile E. posted sounds like what you would expect out of a typical kid regardless of when they were born. The difference is that parents of “indigo” children don’t understand that while each child is unique and special (to their parents, anyway), it doesn’t imply that they are necessarily on some higher path of human development. Encouraging your kids is fine, but you should also temper that with discipline and common sense. Give credit where crdit is due. I just quoted **Jenaroph** ’s previous post. Jenaroph actually looked up the information for us. I will agree with the common theme that these kids just need discipline and not coddling or drugs for ADD. I wonder though if the lack of discipline is due to the trend for people to suspect anyone they see in public disciplining their child as child abusers and butt in and tell them so. When I was a kid, this was unheard of, no one would presume to butt in to tell a parent how to raise their child. If a parent gave their child a swat on the behind in public it was assumed the child deserved it (or known that they deserved it if one had witnessed the child’s bad behavior). But now everyone assumes that anyone who gives the child a swat (on a well-padded diapered behind) or even yells at them is a potential abuser and they must butt in to “save” the child. It doesn’t matter that the little monster may have just walked up to an old lady and bitten her on the ankle, set the store on fire or thrown a 5 minute screaming temper tantrum. No, you should speak softly and reason with the child otherwise you are a bad parent. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/39 "2005-02-14T15:39:54Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > Give credit where crdit is due. I just quoted **Jenaroph** ’s previous post. Jenaroph actually looked up the information for us. Sorry about that. I think I found this same list on the Skeptic’s Dictionary web site, too. Props to Jenaroph, though. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794/40 "2005-02-14T17:01:50Z")
All of my kids are Inigo’s. I don’t see what all the flap is about 😃 Ok…I’ve heard of these Indigo Children. The wife read a couple books on 'em (borrowed–nobody has seperated us from our money yet in this matter) and I’ll be damned if this … what do you call it, “condition?” … doesn’t describe my boy to the letter. I’m just some guy, so in the spirit of ignorance-fighting I really can’t say whether or not ANY spiritual approach to life is BS–no more or less than I can say the same about other more “mainstream” spiritual approaches. Certainly I’d be reluctant to slam a system based on a couple quick message board reads, some fertile snarks and a link or two. I don’t know a lot about Quantum physics, which even the pros agree doesn’t work with common observation, and I’m not going to call BS on _that_ system. But whoever came up with Indigos, how to spot 'em and how to deal with 'em is on to something and it’s been a terrific help with getting through to my kid. Brat? No, doesn’t come NEAR to describing the disruption he can cause. But while it’s fun to pile on with the skeptics in this thread, I’d just like to point out that **Jenaroph** ’s list omits _nothing_ from this kid’s behavior patterns. Yeah, all kids act up sometimes, but I’d say that few exhibit all of these qualities, all the time. I know a thing or two about discipline. My old man taught me. I was a good kid & my brother was not–apparently you have to use different approaches for different kids. With my kid I tried everything from patience, to age-appropriate negative & positive reinforcement, to letting him cut his own switch. He was still pretty much out of control. Yeah, and probably could wear the “gifted” label. Mrs. Montoya and I are VERY involved with our kids’ schooling and spend a lot of time just hanging out during school & watching the kids interact. All kids are NOT Indigos, nor do most of them act a lot like them much of the time. My kid is the youngest in his class, the smallest in his class, and he runs the thing. I have managed to convince him that his teacher needs to be the one in charge of the overall program and scheduling, but outside the scope of her authority, he calls the shots among the kids. And the kids fight for the right to be near him. Roaylaty in a prior life? I dunno about that but he’s got instinctive charisma like no other adult or child I’ve ever met. He’s a six year old that owns the admiration of any adult who meets him. And after five minutes of speaking with him, he’ll know exactly what to expect, how to get it, how to use it, and how to combine it with any other adult resources he’s previously acquired. The guy’s a little politician and a world-class diplomat. And not entirely for his own gains. On several occasions he’s identified an issue at school, figured out a solution and motivated the parents to action. He’s got a vision of how things work and how they can be improved upon. And he’s only six. This kid can not be disciplined with any gradient of spanking–he cries it off and carries on with his mission, guilt or depivation only make you look small and manipulative to his superior intellect–which he calmly demonstrates after you’ve finished your threat; and even bribery has little effect, unless you’ve taken the time to figure out what he’s up to and offer him something that will genuinely help him accomplish the goal. Candy? He’s nuts about it but it won’t get the behavior you’re looking for. But if he’s got an old appliance or lawnmower engine to take apart–he’ll do whatever you say for a tool set. I have two other kids who do respond predictably to different kinds of discipline, but the only way to get through to my boy is to approach him as you would approach an adult of respectable position, and stike a compromise between what he wants and what you need him to do. He’s an angel and model citizen if you do this but he’ll have your lunch if you try to treat him like a kid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-crystal-indigo-kids/289794.md?page=3)