According to Lee Carroll and Jan Tober, authors of The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived, “The Indigo Child is a boy or girl who displays a new and unusual set of psychological attributes, revealing a pattern of behavior generally undocumented before. This pattern has singularly unique factors that call for parents and teachers to change their treatment and upbringing of these kids to assist them in achieving balance and harmony in their lives, and to help them avoid frustration.”

Although Indigo children have been born throughout many decades, there's a good chance your child is an Indigo if he or she was born after 1992. The rates of Indigo-born appear to increase each year – from 85% or higher of children born since 1992, 90% born since 1994, and 95% or more born now.

Some commonly described characteristics of Indigo children include

The unique and rewarding challenges of parenting an Indigo child bring many new philosophies into the parent/child relationship. Whether your child is Indigo or not, however, all parents can benefit from some of the following ideas:

Use parenting as a time to remember and heal. As your children progress through various stages of their development, you are given the rare opportunity to revisit those times in your own childhood. You may find joy in remembering your own growth process or use the occasion to heal the wounds of your past, some of which you may have even forgotten.

Have clear boundaries. Although you may respect and honor your children, remember that your role is to help them, teach them, and protect them as they mature. Children are happiest when they feel the security of your influence and protection. It is often frightening to a child to feel in control of a situation when he or she doesn’t feel capable. Recognize that your job is to give your children a positive environment in which to experience joy, security, safety and health. Choosing to have that emotional experience is the child’s responsibility.

When taking care of everyone else, remember to include yourself. Your children benefit with the model of how to live life successfully as you see it.

Honor your own feelings. Recognize that sometimes you may feel like throwing your kid through a window. It’s okay to feel that; it’s okay to talk about that – just don’t really do it! Find a support group or supportive friends with whom it is acceptable to talk about your feelings. In addition, schedule some personal time for yourself each week when you are freed from child-rearing responsibilities.

Embrace healthy relationships. As much as possible, create a world where there is no such thing as a victim. Creating such an environment effectively eliminates all issues of co-dependence between parent and child. It also gives your child a firm foundation to avoid future unhealthy relationships.

Honor your child’s unique spiritual perspective. Questions from your child create an optimal time to explore their feelings on a variety of subjects. For example, a three-year-old friend once asked me about angels. Before launching into my own verbose response, I asked what she thought. She told me in delightful detail all she knew about the angels who visited her. I felt grateful not to have imposed my adult perspective on her precious visions. We can learn a lot by letting children tell us what they believe. Of course, that is not a pass to skirt questions when your children are looking for information. Often, when I assumed my typical “What do you think about that?” response, my child would reply, “I don’t know, Mom. I want you to tell me.” That was my unmistakable clue to share my honest opinion.

Honor new and/or unusual skills and gifts. If your child exhibits psychic abilities, honor them without reacting with fear. Provide an open environment and share resources for your child to feel comfortable and self-accepting about these skills. When possible, provide training and support to develop this aspect of their lives. This is often the most challenging aspect for a parent, particularly if an unexplored aspect of your own life.

Keep your perspective. Things that seem monumental at the moment may prove to be trivial in hindsight. One of the miraculous things about children is that you never know what they will choose to remember. I recall feeling pressure during my children’s early years, wondering, “Will this particular moment be one that will stick with them forever?” With that thought, I tried my best to make every moment perfect. Now that my children are adults, it surprises me what they have chosen for the mosaic of their memories.

Be consistent. Respect children as human beings. Give them choices and freedom to develop, balanced with supervision and safety. Set limits that protect them but are not arbitrary. Explain why you are making decisions that affect them. As much as possible, let them create fair and appropriate rules. In raising my children, we had only one rule: “We don’t hurt anyone, including ourselves.” As they progressed through various developmental stages, talking about unique situations and how each related to our rule, my children began to understand at deeper levels and reason for themselves.

Be honest and real. Indigo children do not respond to guilt or fear-based discipline. They will not be manipulated. They also bristle when they feel people are talking down to them.

Remember to have fun. Make time to play with your child. Enjoy what you can learn from him or her. You are experiencing the most loving and sacred human experiences.

Why not prepare yourself now for the wonderful benefits to come as your children mature into adulthood? Many people believe that Indigo Children have come to assist the world in our transition to a new, higher evolutionary state. In your role as caregiver and teacher to them, you contribute immeasurably to our collective future.