The parents are interviewed, and from my experience there might not be quite as much more to the story than it may seem.

Children are capable of absolutely amazing things when they are told "yes" and given respect and minimum guidance. Of course my example is not as mind-blowing as this, but my son built his own forge and has made beautiful knives and swords from found metal. Tons of research and sweat and persistence on his part, and not ours. And if we were interviewed about it, the soundbites would come out about the same: "Yup, he did it, we were a bit worried, but he was managing the risks and knew and followed the necessary rules, so ultimately we trusted him."