I think this ia a wonderful thing this young man has done. My 12 year old is a Boy Scout and has earned almost 25 badges in just a little over 1 year. He has worked very hard at them and I am very proud of him too! I am sure Mr Goldsmith's parents are very proud of him as well. The merit badges weren't designed to make the scouts become an expert on a subject, they merely give young men a taste of different hobbies and careers that the might never have thought to try out.