When is appropriate to teach children about conspiracy theories?

I have always had a facination for all things strange and always felt things weren't quite right without actually knowing anything, more of a feeling really. I became fully awake about 18 years ago when a friend of mine introduced me to conspiracy theories and stories of the illuminati etc and the web has helped with the rest.

My daughter is now 15 and from the age she watched tv and progressed to reading I have always told her not to believe everything she hears,sees and reads and that adverts are only for making people more money and not really for the benefit of us. I sometimes drop in the big companies control everthing and that medicine is to make money not make people better. Granted, she tells me to shut up occassionally but I think it has sunk in!

She has been covering 9/11 in school lately and doing her own investigating. She has been asking me about the conspiracy theories on this and I am more than happy to oblige. Her enquiring mind is now ready to start digging for itself and I do worry how she will handle it so young. I still get really freaked by stuff now and I'm in my 40s!

reply to post by Observationalist


Depends on what age you want your child bullied.......

Seriously conspiracy theorists are getting more popular for having an open mind, but it is still frowned upon because of some of the crack pots out there giving us a bad name!!

Soon enough it will be okay, like homosexuality or not bending the bill of your new football cap......

Originally posted by froglette
This is something I feel strongly about. I have 5 children. I think from a very young age all the best and wisest thing to do is to teach them to question everything, keep an open mind, and I know this sounds silly, but think for yourself.

Question everything, is how we learn. It isn't so easy for a parent, but those Why, how, and who questions are the start of your children learning. Why is there fog? Why can't I eat this? Why does (blank) get to do this when I don't?

Answer you children with more than because I says so. You are not allowed to eat anything with artificial sweetened in it because I believe it will make you sick.

I feel that just about everything taught in school is taught as true and unquestionable. As a parent, I am not very fond of this way of teaching. I tend to think I use the public system as a supplemental and social aid to my children's education. I love teachers, please don't get me wrong, but we all should know as adults that textbooks are often wrong or one sided.

Who invented the light bulb?

Well, when I was in school, I was taught that Thomas Edison was the inventor, but later I found out that in 1800 Humpry Davy built the first electric light. It was expensive and not very practical. In 1860, fourty years later, Jospeh Swan built a longer lasting light bulb. It was still expensive and still not very practical. In 1879 the Edison crew built a much longer lasting bulb that eventually became practical for everyone. So most textbooks tend to give him credit for it.

History is a great tool in teaching kids to question things. It was thought that for many years that the Vietnam War (which wasn't really a was, just a police action that required a drafting of it's citizens to help in a police action) was started by the Gulf of Tonkin incidents of 1964. One was real, it happened, the other the last one that got everyone riled up took 40 years to come to light that it never, ever happened. Teach them about it, if they don't ask you questions, then you start asking them their opinions on it.

With regards to Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. My husband and I had much debate, I didn't want to lie to them. The idea of the Tooth Fairy freaked me out as a kid. What did she want with my teeth?

One day, when my oldest was 2 and my next child was not quite here yet. He won with this. The world can be an ugly place. Can we please give them some tradition, magic, and childhood fantasy? I'm a sucker for that. So I would talk about the spirit of Santa Claus. I left the Tooth Fairy to him and I am just as guilty with the Easter bunny.

I hope this helps.

edit on 19-9-2012 by froglette because: (no reason given)

Thank you froglette,
I ageee that getting our kids in the habit of asking why, and how is important for them to learn how to explore ideas.

I think it's great you take responsibility form your kids education and not rely on the system.

My parents let the school do all the educating, they helped with homework but never veered or disagreed with the instruction.

The culture is different know with the Internet, back then, I or my parents had no reason to question what I was being taught. There was no other sources except tucked back away in a library somewhere.

reply to post by Observationalist


I think the age should be based on whenever it actually effects them. So if they are seven, and it affects them, then its ok.