We've (DS8 and I) have been watching this show almost since it began.
Honestly, I previewed the show before calling him to see it. I was not impressed with some of the parenting styles, but thought it was important for DS to watch other kids like him
be encouraged to do something positive with their gift, as well as see that he's not the only one who cries when he isn't perfect. He has no intellectual peers of the ages these kids are in our area, so seeing children like him makes him dance...literally...in front of the tv.
We have our favorite we are rooting for, and have seen some favorites have to go home. I use those moments of defeat as a jumping off point for conversation about coping with disappointment and not expecting too much of oneself.
I wish the interviews with the parents would center a bit more on the asynchronous challenges the kids face day-to-day at home, however. It seems some people would come away from the show thinking the kids have it made, and not realize they are watching kids just as much at risk of failing in life as others who "fall through the cracks".
