I'll bite. I already saw this poor kid and his parents get ripped apart on another forum. Here's my take on it:
1. He seems to be a nice, happy kid. Obviously, the parents care about him and his well being. Can we please avoid trash talk?
2. The 176 is very ambiguous, as we don't know the particular instrument used. I don't think that it matters much, anyway. Reporters enjoy focusing on numbers. It may be that this number slipped out and wasn't intended for print. We don't really know what the reporter was told and what was inferred- such as the Einstein reference. I highly doubt that the parents presented this boy as being smarter than Einstein.
3. It's flattering when people think you (or your children) are newsworthy. Maybe I haven't chosen to put my kids out there in the limelight, but I do not denigrate those who do. If I could count on an article that would represent things fairly, I might consider it at some point. I think we all need to be aware of how things can get twisted by the media. Sometimes it is deliberate, other times it is not.
4. I think it's nice to see positive press on gifted kids. People need to know that they exist.
