The times they are changing is a clear statement. Our young Americans are changing too. They seem more confident, tolerant and more open-minded than ever, but they also seem to feel very empowered. Our young people are mostly demanding and self-centered, they expect things to happen simply because they want it and feel they are entitled to it. We were told that high self-esteem is the key to children's happiness and success, and we have praised and protected them ever since. We have taught our children to feel good about themselves even when they haven't done anything special to feel good. The general belief that if we increase self-esteem in society it will increase goodness in society is a nice idea, but the evidence to prove it is lacking. Low self-esteem has been the cause of many problems in today's times. However, others believe that low self-esteem has little to no factor in negative outcomes, but that inflated self-esteem is the real culprit in such negative outcomes. This debate is likely to continue for quite some time. The self-esteem movement has gone too far; it is crippling our children. The self-esteem movement began in the 1970s. Psychologist Nathaniel Branden published a highly acclaimed article titled “The Psychology of Self-Esteem.” He argued that self-esteem was a “deep and powerful human need, essential for healthy adaptive capacity, that is, for optimal functioning and self-realization. To the extent that need is frustrated, we suffer and are hindered in our development." (Brands XV). Branden argues that all psychological problems are somehow linked to a lack of self-esteem. He states that people can only be happy and successful if... center of paper ...with our children effectively. We must listen, learn and influence our children to accept themselves for who they are. We must teach our children how to learn from their mistakes, to be empathetic to others, we must teach our children how to be responsible, compassionate, how to make decisions and solve problems. Children are more likely to succeed and contribute to society if we help them develop realistic goals and expectations. We cannot continue to make our children believe they are something they are not. We cannot continue to falsely inflate our children's beliefs and expectations. When we give our children everything they want on a plate, we are, at the very least, setting them up for failure and disappointment. Society has inadvertently created self-centered, self-centered children with a great sense of entitlement.