Robin Williams is a liar!
He told Josh that one day he'll grow up really tall. He's 20 now and look at him.... :(
shareHe's not liar because Josh didn't grow really tall.
He's a liar because he talked about future, without being able to know anything about future, as if it's certain.
In any case, it was also bad parenting, but in the movie, it's shown as something 'sweet'.
The lesson is completely wrong; he shouldn't have tried to comfort a 'short son' by telling he'll grow tall!
He should've offered a better perspective, where the physical size doesn't matter, but the inner strength and how you see yourself otherwise does.
What you are in a more 'eternal' way, matters more than what your temporary physical body is. You are not your body, therefore, it doesn't matter if the body is this or that, except for the karma and life lessons it lets you learn.
Some incarnations you have to live in a (relatively) short body, other incarnations, in tall, and yet others, a middle-height. It's just how life works, and how you learn. This is the lesson the father should've given him.
For example:
a) There's nothing wrong with living in a short body
b) There are lessons and things to learn from such an experience, so the son can USE this situation to his advantage (especially spiritually)
c) You are not your body, so -you- are not short, so why care about it?
d) Your body is temporary and will cease to exist relatively soon, while you still go on. Why put emphasis on a temporary thing like that?
e) What you can learn from living in a short body may be more valuable than living in a tall body
f) There are many disadvantages in living in a tall body - sinks, light switches, etc. are always so low you have to bend, you might not fit into japanese showers, and so on.
So the lesson was completely wrong here. A good parent would know that.
Not to mention, he's basically telling him there's something wrong with him and his body just because the height is not up to some kind of arbitrary standard. He's implying it's wrong to live in a short body by making 'living in tall body' as some kind of dreamy state that the son not only must, but can and will reach.