Is it harmful to tell children "you are special, just the way you are"?

I don’t think so. Telling a child they are special just the way they are, does not equal entitlement.
I think telling a child that is more so they accept who they are, flaws and all.
That first article, the grade thing…that happens because one or two professors do it, so students assume others might. Not a good thing. I also don’t understand how that equals entitlement though, either.

I think a lot of it has to do with parents fighting their childrens battles, when they should step away and let a child grow and learn to be an adult. There are life lessons that need to be taught.

I would say, “You are special to us (your parents) just the way you are – but you need to bust your ass if you wish to get anywhere in this life”.

Nobody else gives a shit how special your child is to you.

What a load of crap. I live in Australia, and Mr. Rogers was never broadcast here. I’ve still met people who have that poisonous “entitlement mentality” – they believe the government should give them money, and that other people should take care of them. Some people just don’t take responsibility of their own life – looking at some kids’ TV show is just looking for a scapegoat.

Also, I don’t think that the “entitlement mentality” is the message that Mr. Rogers is conveying. I think it’s a message of self-esteem. I do believe that people deserve to feel good about themselves, just for being who they are. And I don’t think that has anything to do with believing that the world should serve you gold-dusted chocolate truffles on a platter.

High self-esteem and egotism are easily confused by people who don’t know the difference. A friend of mine once phrased it very succinctly: “There’s a big difference between knowing you’re hot s**t, and thinking that you’re better than other people.” Mr. Rogers’s message was about telling people that they’re hot s**t, not about telling them they’re better than other people.

Every child is special. Every person is special. We all have things about us that make us individuals an unlike anyone else. That does not equate to entitlement. It is possible to help children be confident and proud of themselves without teaching them the world is in awe of their mere existence.

No, but is harmful to never say “no” to kids. It is harmful to bribe them to do what you want them to do, such as paying them for good grades. It is harmful to use corporal punishment or emotional abuse as a way to get them not to do something you don’t want them to do. All these things teach the kids that if they do the right thing, they should get the right reward. None of these things teach kids to do things for the intrinsic value of them. They come to see life as about pursuing rewards instead of enjoying, and they feel entitled to rewards if they do nothing wrong.