My teen daughter is suddenly asking questions...

So I have been a member of ATS for a couple of years now. I enjoy reading about conspiracies, and on occasion, putting in my two-cents. However, I have NEVER shared anything regarding conspiracies with my kids. My belief in regards to that is, they only have one childhood and they should get to enjoy it. I didn't want to spoil their innocence with confusion and fear.
That said, my daughter recently turned 16. She's learning to drive, taking courses in high school that are preparing her for college, etc. she's DEFINITELY growing up. (I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad about that! LOL) But I still haven't shared any of my conspiracy theorist beliefs with her.
Last week she comes downstairs from her room and comes over to sit on the couch with me. "Mom, have you ever heard of the Illuminati?"
I about spit the coffee I was drinking everywhere! I asked her where she heard about that and she told me that one of her friends had her watch a video about it a few days before on YouTube. She told me that since then she had watched a few more and was now watching them with her best friend.
Now she HATES Disney, she is nit-picking at ALL the music she is listening to, and even stopped watching ABC, NBC, and CBS. I finally got her to watch the Super Bowl yesterday and then when Beyonce performed she freaked out, told me it was too full of Illuminati symbolism and she wouldn't watch it anymore and went to her room.
So now what do I do?? I mean I want to encourage her to ask questions. But I think her paranoia, especially at her age is SUPER unhealthy. She's always been a responsible, outgoing, incredibly happy kid. We have the most amazingly open line of communication of any mother/daughter I have ever seen and I know I'm really lucky, but I'm at a total loss with this.
I figured this would be the best place to get ideas on how to deal with this at this point...
So what do you all think?

I agree with you that it may be unhealthy; but not her desire to gain information.

Perhaps you should tell her that she needs to remember this is all “theory” and not fact. That there are those who purposefully try to deceive and lie; and that nothing read in the internet should ever be 100% believed.

reply to post by Piper96


Hey I am a teenager too(16+).

I have been involved with Conspiracy, NLP,Hypnosis,psychology and IT since I was 10 years old.
I never tell my parent about it coz they will consider me insane. As a matter of fact I do not discuss this things with my friends too. They always get suspicious if talk about these things. There is something in conspiracy that interests me . I have a feeling that 'something is not right'.

If I tell my parents that I know about things like hollow earth ,masons,nazi secret experiments,tesla conspiracy,pyramids etc they will probably freak out . The things that interested me in conspiracy are movies like matrix,batman,limitless,the secret and games like system shock and deus ex.

So no worries ,your daughter is perfectly normal ,she is just an 'outcast'.

Inj3ct0r
How old were you when you became interested in conspiracy theories?

I would say she is right about the illuminati crap at the half time show, and you should be glad that she was smart enough to figure that kind of thing out at such a young age.

If you look at what the Beyonce brainwashing is all about, it is to hypersexualize youngsters to make sure that no one has a family anymore, so that tptb can control everyone. Their number 1 enemy is strong families.

So if your daughter can see through that propaganda, you should feel lucky that your daughter might be able to avoid the promiscuity that pop culture wants her to participate in, and she may be able to avoid the ruination that comes with that kind of behavior.

You need to sit down with her and explain that some degree of skepticism is healthy, but when it becomes the focal point of her life, and her emotions are being affected by it in a negative manner, it is no longer healthy and is paranoia. Being informed is good, but letting that information control your life in a negative way is bad. She needs to learn how-to balance her emotions away from the information, or else the reality she builds for herself will be negative and she will always see conspiracies in everything, even when there is none. I can't recall the psychological term for this, but it's basically - if you have strong expectations on how a situation/subject is going to be presented, then you will ignore all counter evidence to your expectations and look for evidence that supports your theories.

For all the conspiracy theories out there, most of them are weak at best regarding the evidence. Some have some strong evidence, but they are the rare theories.

Also have her watch this video. Joe and Neil give a pretty good rundown on why conspiracy theories entice us.

Originally posted by MentorsRiddle
I agree with you that it may be unhealthy; but not her desire to gain information.

Perhaps you should tell her that she needs to remember this is all “theory” and not fact. That there are those who purposefully try to deceive and lie; and that nothing read in the internet should ever be 100% believed.

Especially You-tube videos!!! Tell her, if she is interested, to look at all sides of the story, pay attention to FACTS to help her decide what is true and what is hogwash. The one thing about many conspiracy theorists that bother me, is their willingness to fall for the obvious debunkable crap that is spewed on the internet. It gives those who intelligently explore controversial issues a bad name.

It is good to ask question, but it bad to assume everything has a evil purpose. I think that's when you cross the boundary from skeptic/Conspiracist to getting word "nut" attacked to the label.

Your Daughter is asking questions. Be the voice of compassion and clearity. Inform her~ Give her the keys to success to make up her own mind. Discuss the symbolism she is seeing and let her know the Truth that you have found. Let her know that she is not alone with her questions. Man I can keep these one liner responses rolling into a essay.

It's your Daughter~ Answer the questions and instill peace of mind NOT FEAR~ And

reply to post by MentorsRiddle


Actually I did that... Not on a general basis, but regarding the Illuminati. She came back at me telling me there was just too much evidence for her and even cited examples... Britney Spears, Lady Gaga... It was crazy! I she even tells me what symbols they use. I had to take her computer away. But now I'm afraid it's just going to make her MORE paranoid. Ugh...

Really don't have any tips here, I'm thinking maybe she'll calm down eventually, finding out that the world is not how it seems can be a shock but eventually things will probably settle down, at least a little bit.

I just realized how bad my last post sounded... I haven't acted like I was angry with her or treated her like I thought she was crazy... In fact I have NOW shared with her my thoughts on Illuminati, but also stated that it was just a theory and we just don't know if its real. I want her to be educated but not paranoid.

I like that YouTube video with Joe and Neil. I am going to share that with her when she gets home from school.

Along with the advice that others have provided, remind her that whatever it is she decides to believe from all this conspiracy stuff, that this is unavoidably the world that we live in. I know this kinda sounds like a hopeless pessimist speaking,but on the contrary, I feel it is important to remember that all this extra information, true or not, can only provide an extra dose of colorful life lessons that she will undoubtedly grow from. And, not to make any assumptions about you spiritual beliefs, that is why we are all here.
Also, she can know that whatever it really is out there--she doesn't have to fall for it and it doesn't have to stop her. Maybe if she can get that now she won't be as bound to the fear so many others seem shackled to (me).

gosh don't take her computer away. that just Illuminati it self, taking away her freedom.

Seriously tell her not to be afraid but beware things in this world aren't what they seem and never will be.
You just need to be weary on tv/news some websites.

So how did she take finding out Santa clause wasn't real?

reply to post by Piper96


Well taking away her computer is a little harsh and might cause some resentment . She new to this and could use some help and guidance . There is alot of b.s. out there but I think it is great that she is interested whats going on in the world don't stifle that . Help her sift threw that stuff this could be one of the last bonding moments you have with her and you both share the same mind for conspiracy , enjoy it while you can .

I find it refreshing to see the youth looking for answers as to whats going on in the world around them .

She may seem super paranoid because she's just 'woke up'.
I remember when I first started researching different theories and my mind was blown. I didn't know what to do, who to trust, I was a mess, making my depression worse and worse and then gradually, I calmed down. I still don't know who to trust but I just roll with it instead of getting worked up.
Answer her questions and eventually she may calm down a bit.
Good luck.
I'm looking forward to having these conversations when my boys are older.

reply to post by Piper96


My oldest daughter is only nine

ask her who killed Kennedy and she'll look you right in the eyes and say.

"Don't be stupid daddy, the CIA killed him..." and in the same breath without skipping a beat add. "Can we go to Micky-d's for a happy meal?"

it's not from ATS it's part of everyday mainstream media these days.
She sits on the sofa and watches reruns of unsolved mysteries and soaks it all up.
My problem has always been sitting her down and reminding her "We have to separate fact from fiction"
that people do stupid S**t when they run off and act on rumors and half truths.

she's still to young yet to understand but it is pervasive in today's culture

reply to post by freedomSlave


I only took her computer away temporarily to give her a break from watching those videos. It almost became an obsession for her, and I just thought a few days of cooling off and doing things with her friends for the weekend would help.
As far as Santa goes, she actually told me she already kinda knew. She's always been a little bit wiser beyond her years. Lol

reply to post by Piper96


EDIT: Love the post below mine.

You have to go through that opening darkness phase, in order to get out into the light.. She's waking up, and the timing sounds bad, but I think it's perfect timing.. Make sure she is still focused on her own future, and not the illuminati's future ok? As long as she is living her life to the best she can, she is going against their plans.

The Beyonce half time was very illuminati.
Hindu God, Egyptian Goddess, Lucifer worship, but that's not a bad thing is it? Or is it? ....Is it? I don't know, that's for everyone to decide on their own.

You could ask her what is bad about illumination?

I think you should be open and welcoming to her, because you need to show her that even with this kind of info you can and SHOULD live a normal life.

Maybe show her this video:

Tupac explaining Kill illuminati, Killuminati
That video may not be suitable to 16 year olds. You can search "Tupac killuminati interview" for a shorter version, but this version has more context, if you listen first to make sure it's ok to show her.

"The illuminati is just another way to keep your self esteem low. It's just another way to keep you in fear. That's why I put a K to it. I'm killin' that shiz."

She needs to grow into self responsibility, and not give up her power to any outside force or excuse like illuminati. If you hide this from her that's exactly what she will do. teach her that her power has WAY more influence on her own life than the powers that suck could ever have..

This is HER world. What does SHE want?

Good luck

She sounds like a bright, inquisitive young lady that has picked up on the propaganda that is constantly spewed by the media. She is 'waking up' so to speak.

I would encourage her to research. Teach her how to fact check and how to determine the credibility of sources. Encourage her to look at things from all possible perspectives and do her research before making a decision on the validity theories that she comes across on the Internet, especially YouTube.

This new curiosity could be a common ground for the two of you.

Keep the lines of communication wide open, encourage her to stay grounded, and do your best to guide her along the way.

I think it's great that she is talking to you about it.