Let's see.....when children are obnoxious and destructive, we tell them they're abnormal and control it with Ritalin. Then we complain that their precious self-esteem is low and needs to be raised at any cost - or with happy pills. Anyone else see a paradox here?
Personally, I subscribe to the theory that kids will develop self-esteem (self-respect?) when they accomplish something worth esteeming, ie, learning to read, etc. They don't need to be patted on the head constantly by adults. Kids, for the most part, are not stupid - they know when they're being patronized.