Indigo children need respect

How can we offer these children a happy and healthy childhood?

Children can learn from responsible adults to take responsibility for their own behaviour. They do not benefit from being blamed for the trauma and stress that result from not being accepted as they are. They need support and not diagnosis and medication! They thrive when adults show that they love and understand them and when their basic childhood needs are met.

Our experience as a child is different, from the experiences these kids have. Therefore we cannot deal with them as our parents have dealt with us. Instead of putting them on drugs and force them to function according to old standards, we certainly can provide alternatives. Ritalin is not a substitute for better schools, creative teaching and parents who spend more time with their children. The number of children that are put on Ritalin increases enormously and we can only imagine what damage is done on these children. Can we afford to be arrogant and ignorant instead of being open for changes? These children are the adults of the future. Let's make them fit, rather than destroy them and make them unfit for life.

According to Dr. Mary Ann Block, author of "No More Ritalin: Treating ADHD without drugs" observations, the right brain is stronger in these children. These children are stronger in visual, creative, artistic, physical and geographical perception. Our education system is, however, concentrating on the left brain. This can only go wrong. The children of the new generation will always have problems with that kind of learning. These children have no chance to survive in the current school system. And this is again proof that we urgently need to change our school system.

Block also said that these children tend to be to be the tactile learners. This means that their leading learning system is “doing” rather than “seeing or hearing” and their brains do not easily process visual and auditory information. The children continue to try to learn as best as they can. Due to their tactile learning style, they tend to play with their pencil and poke their neighbours to have contact. However, in the current system they are perceived as intruders or as learning disabled, although they only trying to learn in the manner that works for them. It would be easy to support the tactile learning style that these children can learn. All they need is to touch something and that would be achieved with a soft ball they can knead. Addressing the sense of touch would support their acoustic and visual learning. This can also reduce unacceptable, hyperactive behavior. Because such children often do not listen, it's easy to call them by name, or to touch them just to get their attention.