Why the big surprise, this child did not go by the rules of listen and follow his teachers, except for his father.
We have seen what happens when a student questions a teacher on You Tube, they get smacked down. Yelled at and threatened with arrest.
I am sure that in 300 years there have been thousands and thousands of Adult Mathematicians that have tried to solve the Puzzle. All as other Adults had other things, Adult things to cause them to abandon the study and as a hobby with no Peer input------.
It took a long time for a genius at math to teach his son Math. The old ways of a father teaching a son his trade.
Kids you know tell them something is impossible and they set out to prove you wrong. Kids, keep them curious and wanting to learn, help them as far as you can and the child will master the parent.