Okay, first the good stuff (imo).
The father believes that kids can achieve if given the opportunity
The father subscribes to a "you are capable" mindset (his "eagle" description is somewhat similar to how I view learning through the lens of zone of proximal development)
He obviously did something correct if he truly was tested at 218 IQ
Pilot training, now that is really out of the box thinking (even if it is a bit over stated in the headlines)
His comment of getting into college at age 10 is over the top, BUT not too dissimilar to what I might hear from other BK parents - though he added an adjective to his claim making it seem like a 10 year old can easily gain access to an elite university when this is not true at all, "elite" being a key discriminator.
I think the negatives speaks for themselves... but, his over the top antics coupled with pursuing media attention (how else do camera crews show up?) gives EL a bad name. I also wonder what this parent-child relationship will look like in 10 years, 20 years, etc. I hadn't thought of teaching "toughness" but I could see where this could all backfire on him real hard.
When reading the opening chapter of
It's OK Not to Share, I sit there and wonder who the audience is. All these writers such as David Elkind basically set up straw men arguments to beat up on. Well... this is the straw man parent they write about - other than this guy, there's basically no EL household this extreme. Our homes are usually homes of play, fun, games, songs, and maybe a little instruction.
Anyway, that's my take on it. I will try and remember this thread in the future so that I can google and see what they're up to (because it seems as though the father pursues media attention that it will be easier to follow their progress)
EDIT: one of my top secret plans for PokerCub is to teach him how to drive at some point around the age of 4-6. I'll take him electric goCarting, at the local UnserRacing if it's still open at that time. They can slow the cart down and he'd be on a restricted track.... maybe not motorbiking, but hey, I'm not quite as adventurous as some