How to raise a crystal child
The Basics of Empowering Your Indigo or Crystal Children
The Basics of Empowering Your Indigo or Crystal Children | Gaia Skip NavigationIndigo and Crystal Children are very sensitive to the energy balances in their environments. This can cause very ranged reactions in their emotions, and be quite debilitating in quality of life. Experiencing these peaks and valleys can be very trying, whether you are a parent or if you yourself are one of these gifted children. It is detrimental to their physical, emotional, and spiritual health to be yo-yo-ing back and forth, so empowering your Crystal or Indigo kids is extremely important for their futures surviving in the world.
Here are a few ideas that you can try that give the essentials of empowerment for your Children:
1. Breathing: the breath moves energy throughout the body. When Crystal or Indigo Children are frustrated, scared, hyper, or generally upset, you can ask them to take a moment. Have them stop what they are doing and breathe deeply by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. You can tell them to really exert the out blow like they are blowing their anger. Make it a fun game, and even do it with them.
2. Smudging: cleansing your house to help clear the distracting vibrations is a great way to create a soothing home base environment. When should you do it? Immediately after a tantrum, fight, or dissonance of any kind, after you have a lot of people over and on a regular basis. Make it part of your house cleaning routine, sometimes even daily. You will notice a distinct difference very quickly.
3. Staying Grounded: another very important step, there are many methods of how to get this accomplished. If you are looking for something quick and easy, intention and visualizing are your best bets. They can be done in a fast second at any time, anyplace, without anyone even noticing. One method some practitioners advise is to ask Gaia (or Mother Earth) for her permission for your grounding cord to enter the core of her being. Then, visualize a clear cord or clear rope coming from your root chakra (tail bone area) and entering Gaia.
It grows in length and continues to grow until it has been fully anchored into the core of Gaia. This grounding cord releases negative energy and also brings in positive energy. Set your intention to send all the negative energy down this cord, physically exhale, releasing it into Gaia. After the negative energy has all been released, with intention, bring up the positive life-giving earth energy with a physical inhale. Close by thanking Gaia. Have your kids make a monkey chain cord. It’s the intention that works!
4. Shielding: Indigos and Crystals are extremely sensitive. Their highly tuned energy fields pick up negative emotions and environmental energy from their surroundings like a sponge, which cause severe mood swings. The Children unknowingly will pick up all this energy and take it on as their own. Instead of leaving them vulnerable, teach them to create and surround themselves with the “bubble of white light” protection every morning. This repels the negative energy around them but allows the positive energy to enter. Have them visualize this bubble-like a soap bubble with them inside of it.
5. Exercise: it is important for exercise to remain a part of all of our lives in order to keep up a healthy lifestyle, but this also helps the Indigo or Crystal Children to burn off excess energy that they pick up. Their nervous systems are wired differently than others. Excellent exercise outlets to release what they are holding in their emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual bodies are yoga, tai-chi, dancing, martial arts, gymnastics, or anything they love that gets them moving!
6. Inside Nature: bring nature indoors. Make sure to stock your home with lots of beautiful plants, rocks, crystals, waterfalls, aquariums, and so on. Crystal Children in particular have a strong connection to nature, and this will help them feel at ease.
7. Quiet Room: keep a room in your house that is a quiet space with no electrical equipment at all, as Crystals and Indigos are sensitive to machine energy, as well. This is a room for them to just be who they are. Let them do whatever they love to do in their quiet time, whether it’s artwork, reading, puzzles, Legos, and so on.
8. Sea Salt Baths: give your kids nightly baths in sea salt. Make sure they drink extra (non-salted) water, as this naturally pulls toxins from the physical body and also clears negative energies from the energetic body.
9. Clean Environments: do not keep artificial scents in your home. Use only the highest quality oils and unscented beeswax candles. Maintain a relaxed mood with a dolphin, orca, or angelic relaxing music, played on low in the background when you’re at home. Of course, avoid screaming chaotic music, as this is only going to disturb their energy. Also, keep all electrical stuff out of their bedrooms to protect your children from the very dangerous electromagnetic waves these devices send out. This will help them sleep deeply and peacefully.
10. Healing: Reiki Energy Healing, Sound Healing, and other alternative healing methods are recommended for healing, balancing, rejuvenating, and empowering not just Crystals or Indigos, but all of us! Take advantage of such services for you and your children.
About the Author
Gaia guides people on their personal transformational paths with the world’s largest library of exclusive and original conscious media. Like our members, Gaia staff are driven by curiosity, passion and the desire to grow, as we continue on our own spiritual journeys and quests. Our members inspire our own authenticity: the quest for transformation never ends. If there is a topic you’d like to learn more about, please let us know. You can also join Gaia as a contributing author and help us connect readers to people and ideas that fuel a conscious life.
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Indigo and Crystal Children, are very sensitive to the energy around them and having a balanced, stable energy field allows them to function at their best. It also continues to empower them to be a gift to the rest of the world. We bring you some simple, fun exercises that will help your Child’s energy be balanced on a daily basis.
You can do these techniques that are easy enough for any child (or grown-up Child, for that matter!):
Electromagnetic Energy of Indigo and Crystal Children
The energy in our body is electromagnetic, but this isn’t easy to imagine, and therefore can hinder the management of our body energy. To help children sense something which usually can’t be seen, have them rub their hands together rapidly. Then gently bring their hands almost together and apart several times to see if they can sense the energetic force between their hands.
If they can easily feel the energy in their palms, have them playfully stretch it out and squeeze it together again or toss it to someone else to catch. Once your Indigo or Crystal Child has completed this exercise, it’ll be a lot easier to explain. Take time to help them understand how important it is to keep this energy balanced in their body and connected to the Earth’s energy.
Breathing Exercises for Crystal Children and Indigos
We’ve mentioned this one before, but it’s so effective and important, we’re bringing it up again! The way we breathe has a huge impact on how grounded we feel. If we breathe shallowly through the chest, it kicks our nervous system into the stress mode. Keep an eye on your child’s breathing, and make it fun! You can start a game out of having your child take slow, deep breaths as they focus on different parts of their body.
Can they imagine breathing through the bottom of their feet, their heart center, top of their head or their stomach? As they focus on different areas of the body can they visualize any stress or negative energy leaving their body as they exhale? This practice isn’t too far off from reality at all, as our breath moves energy!
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The Crystal Children | Cathryn Marr Author
Jul 3, 2022 | Behind the Scenes
In Soul Keeper, our first book in our Brotherhood of Shadows series, psychic children, especially the Crystal children, are at the heart of our story. We wanted to share more information regarding these amazing children, and even if you don’t believe in the existence of psychic children or the Crystals, it’s certainly a fascinating topic to explore.
They say that the gateway to a person’s soul is through their eyes, and that is the exact feeling that you’ll have when you lock gazes with a Crystal child.
Sometimes referred to as Starseeds or Lightworkers, Crystal children are said to be the second wave of humans who have been born with the purpose of changing the world—following Indigo children and coming before Rainbow children.
So, what makes this generation so unique? What are these people here to do? How do you know if you have a Crystal child in your own life?
Exploring the unique idea of Crystal children requires having an open mind—which, ironically, is exactly what they say these children are here to teach.
Unlike Indigo children, who came before the Crystal children, in the 1980s and 1990s, this new wave of humanity is said to have begun in the late-1990s through the first decade of the 2000s. Indigo children were first identified by Nancy Ann Tappe due to their unique indigo “life color” or aura, and Crystal children are the next evolution that are said to have a crystalline or opalescent energy field.
While Indigos are here to pave the way and break-down outdated rituals and institutions, the Crystal children are here to develop, mold, and create new ways of living while acting as the bridge between the old and new. In fact, Crystal children are often born to Indigo parents who have the ability to support and protect these rare souls as they go about their mission.
It sounds like a big job—and it is. However, these children are also said to be born with “special” traits that give them the tools necessary to open hearts and transform the world as we know it.
The mission of Crystal children is unity, and they are here to bring people together through love, expression through the arts, and communication. Crystal children see others as equals, regardless of their differences, and they have a rare ability to see beyond the surface to the depths of a person’s feelings. There are some that also believe that the Crystals are here to work on raising the vibration of the planet through the energy grids of Earth—these grids also serve as a way for these children to communicate and unite with others like them around the world.
With their natural ability to see equality also comes a deep resistance to negativity, lying, and manipulation. You aren’t likely to get anything past a Crystal child—instead, they will see your intentions for what they are, and if they sense any ulterior motives, they will not back down from their truth.
The first thing that you’ll notice about a Crystal child is their eyes—often large, beautifully colored, and enchanting, the eyes of a Crystal are a window into their soul.
However, these children are about much more than appearance!
If you spend time with a Crystal child, it’s impossible to deny their “old soul” energy, and they have several unique characteristics that make them stand-out among their peers.
- Fearlessness: Crystal children are said to be born without a belief in “lack”, which leads to them to be naturally fearless children. Known for loving heights, spontaneity, and excitement, Crystals dive into the unknown with the confidence of someone who trusts that everything will be alright.
- Imagination: Many of us had imaginary friends as children, but to a Crystal child, it isn’t just imagination. Crystal children have an incredible sense of creativity and artistic expression, and what we call their vibrant “imaginations” may just be how they truly see the world.
- Psychic Ability: Some say that Crystal children are able to hear, see, and feel far beyond the senses of a typical person, which can lead quickly to them feeling overstimulated. Healing arts are a strength in Crystal children, and many of their psychic abilities are centered around physical and emotional healing, communing with nature, and even telekinesis (the ability to move objects with the mind).
- Connection to Nature: Nature and these children are One, and they thrive in natural environments and around animals. Crystal children may say that they see fairies and other mystical beings, and they can spend hours with rocks, crystals, or sitting quietly out in nature.
- Forgiveness: At the soul of a Crystal Child is a deep need for peace—within themselves, their families, and the world as a whole. This makes them possibly the most forgiving generation, and they are not the type of person who will hold a grudge against those who have wronged them.
There’s no definition for what makes a person’s soul unique, and Crystal children are all as different as they are similar. While traits like a forgiving, loving personality and psychic ability are common in Crystal children, other characteristics include:
- Sensitivity to Sensory Stimulation and Loud Noises
- Emotional Pain Caused by Negative Events—At Home or in the World
- Highly Affectionate and Always Ready for a Hug
- Drawn to Careers Based in Healing and Teaching Others
- Deep, Unconditional Love for Family and Friends
- Delayed Speech or Other Preferred Ways of Communicating
- Strong Sense of Balance and a Love of Heights and Climbing
The mission of Crystal children is unity, and they are here to bring people together through love, expression through the arts, and communication. Crystal children see others as equals, regardless of their differences, and they have a rare ability to see beyond the surface to the depths of a person’s feelings. There are some that also believe that the Crystals are here to work on raising the vibration of the planet through the energy grids of Earth—these grids also serve as a way for these children to communicate and unite with others like them around the world.
With their natural ability to see equality also comes a deep resistance to negativity, lying, and manipulation. You aren’t likely to get anything past a Crystal child—instead, they will see your intentions for what they are, and if they sense any ulterior motives, they will not back down from their truth.
The first thing that you’ll notice about a Crystal child is their eyes—often large, beautifully colored, and enchanting, the eyes of a Crystal are a window into their soul.
However, these children are about much more than appearance!
If you spend time with a Crystal child, it’s impossible to deny their “old soul” energy, and they have several unique characteristics that make them stand-out among their peers.
- Fearlessness: Crystal children are said to be born without a belief in “lack”, which leads to them to be naturally fearless children. Known for loving heights, spontaneity, and excitement, Crystals dive into the unknown with the confidence of someone who trusts that everything will be alright.
- Imagination: Many of us had imaginary friends as children, but to a Crystal child, it isn’t just imagination. Crystal children have an incredible sense of creativity and artistic expression, and what we call their vibrant “imaginations” may just be how they truly see the world.
- Psychic Ability: Some say that Crystal children are able to hear, see, and feel far beyond the senses of a typical person, which can lead quickly to them feeling overstimulated. Healing arts are a strength in Crystal children, and many of their psychic abilities are centered around physical and emotional healing, communing with nature, and even telekinesis (the ability to move objects with the mind).
- Connection to Nature: Nature and these children are One, and they thrive in natural environments and around animals. Crystal children may say that they see fairies and other mystical beings, and they can spend hours with rocks, crystals, or sitting quietly out in nature.
- Forgiveness: At the soul of a Crystal Child is a deep need for peace—within themselves, their families, and the world as a whole. This makes them possibly the most forgiving generation, and they are not the type of person who will hold a grudge against those who have wronged them.
Crystal children are at once both extraordinarily powerful and extremely vulnerable. Their power comes from their deep love and understanding of humanity, but it also leaves them susceptible to the negativity and dangers that plague our modern world.
Whether you believe you are a Crystal, or you have children in your life that have this distinct mission, some of the pitfalls of existing with these abilities include:
- Struggles with the Fear, Negative Reactions, and Anger of Others
- Dependency on Parents or Caregivers
- Sensitivities to Unnatural Foods, Chemicals, and Medications
- Tendencies towards Addictive Behavior and Escapism in Adulthood
- Risk of Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Other Mental Health Challenges
It sounds like a big job—and it is. However, these children are also said to be born with “special” traits that give them the tools necessary to open hearts and transform the world as we know it.
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Briefly about the disease
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a group of genetically determined diseases that are characterized by increased bone fragility due to impaired collagen production.
Let's decipher:
- Group - means that these are several different diseases, united by common features. Today, at least 15 genes are known, changes in which lead to different types of disease.
- Genetically determined - means that the cause of the disease was a mutation in the genes that arose spontaneously or was transmitted through one or both parents. This excludes the influence of other factors, such as bad habits of parents or illness of the mother during pregnancy, so that they cannot be responsible for the occurrence of the mutation. At present, scientists cannot yet offer a safe way to introduce themselves into the genome of a living person, which, however, does not mean that a patient with OI cannot be helped in any way or that he will not be able to lead a normal life.
- Increased bone fragility - means that, depending on the type of disease, people with OI are at risk of having 10 to 100 fractures in their lifetime.
- Violation of collagen production means that the disease develops due to deficiency and violation of the structure of the protein - the building material of bones. NO has nothing to do with calcium metabolism in the body, therefore it is pointless to treat it with calcium, as well as with collagen preparations, which are digested in the stomach before reaching the bones.
Osteogenesis imperfecta is one of the most common rare diseases, affecting one in 12,000 to 15,000 newborns. Many patients suffer from a mild form of pathology, in which they are not even aware of it. Depending on the type of OI, the correctness and timeliness of the appointment of treatment, the quality of life can differ dramatically, from normal health to severe disability.
In addition to bone fragility, OI has other signs in various combinations: short stature, bone deformity, hearing loss, damage to internal organs due to skeletal deformities or features of the connective tissue (lungs, cardiovascular system, eyes, teeth, etc. may suffer). ). The disease does not affect life expectancy and reproductive function.
The diagnosis of OI is made clinically on the basis of symptoms determined during examination and questioning, and is confirmed by its genetic study. Indirectly, the diagnosis is facilitated by the characteristic signs of OI found on radiographs and the absence of changes in laboratory blood tests.
Among patients with OI, there are often people with a high level of intelligence, a creative gift and a strong character - these are famous actors, musicians, writers and philosophers, doctors and historians.
Why we recommend treating osteogenesis imperfecta in the CVP
1. Unique experience
The head of the CVP, genetic endocrinologist Natalia Belova has been treating children with OI for more than 30 years, orthopedic traumatologist Vladimir Kotov for more than 25 years, pediatrician Fedor Katasonov for more than 5 years. Natalia Belova was the first to start researching this pathology in the USSR, she wrote articles about it for the encyclopedia, made recommendations for the treatment of OI and a protocol for the treatment of children with OI for the Ministry of Health. Currently, she is the main freelancer of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for this disease. At the initiative of Natalia Belova, a patient organization for OI patients was created. Thousands of children with a diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta went through Dr. Belova. Over the five-year history of CVP, more than 350 patients with OI were observed here, about 200 children from Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan received systematic treatment. CVP is Europe's largest center for the treatment of congenital bone fragility.
2. Comprehensive treatment
Osteogenesis imperfecta affects all areas of human life. The key to successful treatment is exclusively in a multidisciplinary approach, in which the efforts of many specialists are combined. If at least one direction of treatment is excluded, the chances of success are significantly reduced.
- Pediatricians of the center are engaged in drug treatment, prescribing drugs from the group of bisphosphonates that strengthen bone tissue. The responsibilities of these specialists include coordinating all areas of treatment and continuous pediatric supervision.
- Orthopedists-traumatologists provide adequate treatment of fractures and timely surgical correction. The center performs almost all types of operations required for OI, with the exception of operations on the spine.
- Rehabilitators are engaged in physical activation of patients. It is known that improving the quality of life and reducing the number of fractures is possible only under the condition of certain physical activity. Specialists select special exercises and teach parents how to work with children at home.
- The tasks of the psychologist are to help the patient accept his diagnosis without internal conflict, relieve anxiety (fear of fractures can often be the only obstacle that slows down treatment), motivate for physical activity and solve many other psychological problems.
- Specialists in the selection of technical aids help to choose the necessary aids (crutches, walkers, chairs) that are most suitable for the level of physical activity and size, as well as receive material compensation from the state for their purchase.
- Related health problems are solved by qualified doctors: ophthalmologists, ENT specialists, neurologists, etc. The examinations necessary for patients, even those not included in the OI treatment standard, are carried out at GMS Hospital or partner clinics.
This comprehensive approach makes the CVP unique. Natalia Belova considers the criteria for selecting specialists to work at the center to be their high professionalism, personal involvement in the process, the ability to work collegially, as well as a special medical culture aimed primarily at serving the interests of the patient and helping him. Five years ago, the CVP team was lucky to find a private GMS clinic that took responsibility for promoting this socially important, although at that time dubious direction from a financial point of view. Today, as a result of this fruitful collaboration, at least twice as many small patients with OI can be treated simultaneously in the clinic.
Western Standards of Treatment
(evidence-based medicine)
Continuous boost
staff qualifications
Regular interaction
with leading Russian and foreign medical institutions
Modern medical equipment
and advanced diagnostic and treatment methods
Uniform service standard
We work around the clock
24 / 7 / 365
3.
Correct goal settingThe goal of our treatment is not to reduce the number of fractures or increase bone density (this happens by itself in the process of work), but to improve the patient's quality of life. We work to raise every fragile child a full-fledged member of society, minimally limited by their disease. We strive to ensure that our patients receive a good education, start a family and become happy people.
4. Modern approach
The Center for Congenital Pathology GMS Hospital is the only organization in the former USSR that provides the most up-to-date approach to the treatment of OI. Many doctors and organizations trying to treat OI are still guided by the recommendations compiled by Natalia Belova more than 20 years ago, which have lost their relevance today.
- Modern diagnostics became possible as a result of cooperation with the Genomed laboratory, the only one in Russia that performs a full-fledged study on OI. A genetic study allows you to clarify the type of disease and select accurate and effective recommendations for each specific case. In addition, information about the gene mutation in parents gives them the opportunity for further family planning. In the event of a risk of having a child with a pathology, clients can resort to the latest reproductive technologies at the GMSECO clinic.
- Modern drug treatment includes the appointment of drugs from the group of bisphosphonates (pamidronate, zolendronate), and the treatment regimen (doses, frequency of administration, duration of treatment) is constantly being adjusted taking into account the latest developments. In the near future, CVP plans to be the first in our country to start trial treatment with denosumab, which is more effective in some rare types of OI. The doctors of the center do not use outdated and harmful methods of treatment based on calcium, collagen, osteogenon, somatotropin, etc., as is done in other medical institutions.
- Modern surgical treatment involves the use of exclusively intraosseous constructions to fix bones after correction of deformities or fractures. Bony structures (plates, bolts), acceptable for healthy people, but destroying the bones of our patients, are used in our country in medical institutions working in the old fashioned way, although they have long been abandoned all over the world. In addition, the TsVP became the first center in Russia where they began to install telescopic rods that lengthen as the child grows. This world “gold standard” of surgery for OI was unavailable in our country for a long time, so we used to send patients with this prescription for treatment abroad.
- The modern approach to physical therapy is based on intense exercise and the formation of an active lifestyle. Unfortunately, the level of rehabilitation in our country is quite low, and the words "physiotherapy exercises" mean meaningless exercises that do not really load any muscle group. Dr. Andreas Stromberger, who has studied and practiced in Germany for many years, is responsible for physical therapy at the CVP. The goal of rehabilitation is not to develop muscles, but to develop skills. In the TsVP, children learn to crawl, walk and run, expanding their everyday possibilities to the maximum. The GMS Hospital rehabilitation room is equipped with sports equipment, exercise equipment and a new effective rehabilitation tool - the Galileo vibration platform.
- A modern approach to hospitalization means the most comfortable stay in the GMS Hospital. The patient is in the ward with one of the close adults (mother, father, grandmother, sister). Equipped at the level of European clinics, the wards are designed for one or two families. Polite, highly trained nurses, many of whom have been trained abroad, have extensive experience with OI, in which, for example, due to the nature of the vessels, it can be difficult to place an venous catheter. There are TVs and air conditioners in the wards, food is delivered by maids. Around the clock in the hospital, free access for visitors, and the patients themselves are free to walk around the city when they have no procedures in the plan.
5. Lifelong learning
International Conferences on Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which take place every three years, is the main specialized event, which brings together all the leading experts in fragile bones: geneticists, surgeons, pediatricians, rehabilitation specialists, representatives of patient organizations, etc. It is here that you can learn about the latest technologies and development trends in OI research. CVP specialists are the only permanent participants of the conference from Russia. The last conference in Oslo in 2017, which became the fourth for us, was attended by Natalia Belova, Fedor Katasonov, orthopedic surgeon Alexei Rykunov and geneticist of the Genomed laboratory Fedor Konovalov, together with whom the CVP staff prepared three poster presentations. In addition to continuous training, participation in conferences allows the doctors of the CVP to maintain relationships with the global medical community, thanks to which, in particular, our patients were previously able to be sent for treatment abroad.
6. Indifference
We stay in touch with our patients at all times - even after they return home between hospitalizations or outgrow childhood. We know how difficult it is to get adequate medical care at the place of residence, when any problem is attributed to a rare diagnosis and they do not want to deal with it or offer inadequate treatment methods and a protective lifestyle. We also understand the need for proper education, we promote the admission of our patients to schools and kindergartens and fight against their discrimination, sometimes even with the involvement of journalists and lawyers. We do not leave any aspect of children's lives unattended, whether it be difficult circumstances in the family or difficulties in obtaining an education, and we do our best to help.
7. Availability
Treatment at the Center for Congenital Pathology is free of charge for patients (they only need to pay for travel). This became possible thanks to the contribution of charitable foundations under the program organized by Natalia Belova. Funds (primarily Rusfond) pay for course treatment and operations, including those abroad, and we also, if possible, seek funds for special equipment (walkers, chairs) and even for legal assistance. Expensive genetic research is also carried out at the expense of philanthropists.
Are there any prospects?
We, the doctors at the GMS Hospital Congenital Pathology Center, would very much like to see Osteogenesis Imperfecta effectively treated using modern technologies throughout the country. It is already obvious that in the near future we will have more patients than we can manage with high quality, so we will have to expand the staff again. We would like to train specialists from other cities and send some patients to them. But, unfortunately, today our center is uncontested in this direction. In other institutions that are trying to deal with this disease, there is a severe shortage of some or other resources, and sending patients there is to harm them. We constantly accept patients who previously received care in state institutions, and we are faced with the fact that we have to correct other people's mistakes and regret the lost time and missed opportunities.
If you know doctors who are interested in adopting our experience, learning from foreign literature, who are not indifferent to the global result of their treatment, and who are ready to introduce new methods of therapy, surgery, rehabilitation, feel free to give them our coordinates. We wish there were more centers like ours. Patients fly to us from the Far East and from Yakutia. It would be much better if, instead of wasting money, time and effort on a flight across the whole country, they could turn to a center, for example, in Novosibirsk or Yekaterinburg.
If you know people or organizations who are ready to pay for our patients' travel, technical equipment or accommodation in Moscow while they are undergoing rehabilitation at our center (funds pay for treatment, but not for rehabilitation after fractures or operations), share information about us with them. We will tell them how to provide targeted assistance: we have lists of children who need their charity more than others.
If you know children with brittle bones whose parents may not even know that this disease can be successfully treated, tell them about us. We will gladly invite them to the consultation and, if necessary, accept them into our treatment program.
We want awareness of osteogenesis imperfecta to grow so that doctors stop being afraid of this diagnosis, and parents understand that the disease should not be an obstacle to a long and happy life.
Psychologist Inna Khamitova - about how important it is to understand your child
The topic of raising the younger generation is traditionally in the top of the most significant. Many union programs are also aimed at young people. However, a large role in the process of personality formation is given, of course, to the family. How much do today's parents understand their teenage children? How to help them all survive the "explosion of growing up", not to lose each other? About this and many other things - the famous psychologist Inna Khamitova.
Inna, what kind of a miracle is adolescence?
Inna Khamitova: In the traditional sense, it is a period when special changes take place in a young person's body, a sharp explosion of physical maturation. Our children grow in breadth, in height (often very disproportionately). It is difficult for a teenager to get used to his own body. Well, imagine - over the summer it grew by 15 centimeters. That's why they are so awkward. In addition to bodily, there are psychological changes, the transition from a child to an adult. A teenager begins to ask himself all sorts of questions: who am I? Where I am? what do i want? It is very difficult when, on the one hand, you are torn apart physically, on the other, emotionally. An unusual creature that decides for itself the question: "how can I separate from my parents?". Separate by answering the questions: Who am I? what I want? what is my path? - difficult.
It is much easier to "devalue" parents by protesting against their norms, values, and even themselves. Teenagers can act harshly and even abusively. I'm not saying that such an option is necessarily present, but if it is, this is a normal option.
It is very important in these moments to "not succumb to provocations", not to allow yourself to be treated in an insulting manner and not to slip into insults yourself. Fortunately, the modern parent is very well-read and understands what adolescence is, knows that it just needs to be experienced.
Are teenagers today different from the teenagers their parents were?
Inna Khamitova: Let's see what is happening with today's children. If we talk about the global trend, there has been a technological leap between us and our children. Our children grew up in a completely different world. This already affects the psychological aspect. Of course, it is naive to say that today any child looks down on any parent when it comes to new technologies and gadgets. Still, let's not forget that it was the parents who came up with the technology. But on average, a modern teenager understands digital technologies better than the average adult layman; in children, "the keyboard grows from fingers." Accordingly, any information became more accessible to them. If earlier, for example, a parent could give you some books that were kept under lock and key for the time being, now a teenager is typing anything in a search engine, and a huge amount of information falls out on him.
Has the parent lost the role of the main source of truth about the world?
Inna Khamitova: Yes, a parent ceases to be a bearer of truth. The boundaries of the family system are revealed, the teenager goes out into the world and sees that the world is very different. Groups in social networks, teenage contacts, what peers think about him, how they look at life - all this becomes more important than family, family values and rules.
There is another aspect. We and our children grew up in almost different countries and different realities. The big system with its changed rules couldn't help but affect how they grew up. When the borders opened, a flood of information poured in on us, and advanced parents discovered the theory of attachment for themselves, began to raise their children more democratically. (Because if the big system is democratic, it is impossible to organize house building in the family.) Of course, humanistic values have penetrated into the family. Of course, I'm talking about a trend, because even now there is abuse and violence in families.
It should be remembered that the adolescence of children is a second chance for parents to fix everything
Have not only teenagers changed, but also parents?
Inna Khamitova: Of course. We listen with much more attention to the feelings of the child, allow them to be expressed, to speak out. We are much more empathic, reverent and attentive to his spiritual life. This is one of the trends and should be welcomed. But there is an extreme, when we cross the border of empathy and fall into permissiveness. It is so important for us to be good parents that we too succumb to children's manipulations, unable to refuse anything. And protecting them from the "lead abominations of life", we do not set boundaries that should have been set. After all, the task of a parent is not only unconditional love, but also the adaptation of the child to this world. As a result, children grow up fragile, spoiled.
Even the term appeared - the generation of "snowflakes". What to do with them?
Inna Khamitova: I would say that some "semiconductor system" is operating here. Such "snowflakes" are extremely sensitive to how they are treated, focused on their own needs. But they do not notice what is happening to others. There is another side. With the advent of material well-being, parents often go to the other extreme - not giving the child real attention, they simply pay him off. If the desires of a child are always anticipated, he does not develop the ability to want something. You have not yet had time to want videos properly - here are the videos for you. I didn’t have time to want Barbie - you already have it. Haven't had time to want a "Porsche" yet - "Porsche" is already here. You did not have time to understand who you want to be, and you are already being accepted into a prestigious educational institution. People grow up who have everything, but at the same time there is no feeling that they are needed by someone. There is a void in the soul, which is often filled with alcohol or drugs.
Is adolescence longer now?
Inna Khamitova: I see two trends here too. Yes, someone remains overly sensitive, spoiled, immature for a long time. And there are others - very responsible, "early". Someone matures earlier, someone - later, maybe only by the age of 25. So let's forget the stories about "my mother's friend's son", who is always better. Just accept it, you have another child. And this does not mean at all that if he drips on the brain, he will grow up faster.
But how to prevent the infantility of a teenager?
Inna Khamitova: Parents should think about adolescence long before it starts. How? First of all, the balance of rights and obligations, adequate to age, is important. On the Internet and in parenting books, you can find a ready-made list of rights and obligations that a child should have at different ages. Next, parents need to take care of a suitable environment for the child in advance. Carefully choose a good school, studios, sections.
There are only two things to remember. First, we can help our teenager get through this difficult period by supporting him and reminding him that everything that happens to him is normal. What a great guy he is. The second is to help establish and maintain boundaries, not allowing yourself to be treated rudely, and not slipping into rudeness and accusations yourself.