<p>This feels very apropos to my life; just yesterday, I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t done enough as a mother to crush my children’s self-esteem! :-)</p>
<p>But seriously, although this is a clear problem in the larger culture and there is plenty of room between making kids believe they can have/do/be anything and crushing their spirits, it doesn’t bother me if children’s movies have unrealistically hopeful messages. Haven’t fairy tales throughout history fostered similarly unrealistic hopes?</p>