<a href="http://youtu.be/HeLVJzA29fI">Review of "Cold Roses"</a> watch and love. 

Subject: Priceless Video

Dear Mr. Lefsetz,

We have read your recent blog about our son, Joshua, and we are honored that you chose him and his Ryan Adam's review as your topic. Thank you so much for your kind words and inspiring statements. Joshua was very excited to read it and equally thrilled with all the positive feedback he received on his YouTube as a result. You will be happy to know that in spite of all the attention he is otherwise unaffected. He will continue to review the music that moves him and only when he wants to because he does this for fun:)

What is most impressive is that you really "get it" and your understanding of what his reviews are all about were on the mark. As parents many of your words brought us to tears. It is one thing to know how special your kid is but it is quite another to have others notice and share it with the world.

It is obvious that you realize that there is more to his story than his video shows and we feel that you might be interested in the rest of the story (which we share only because we feel a connection - we are a "no agenda" family:). Joshua is our only child and he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 2 years old and then autism when he was 5 years old. We have always known that we had a "special" kid in a good way. Often when we tell people about his obstacles they are saddened but we say he is the happiest kid in the world and it is true. We agree that the internet is wonderful thing because it has connected him to people and things that interest him. It has truly been a tool to bring out the best in a boy that did not talk until he was 4 years old.

He is now 11 years old and he is passionate about music, cooking, and movies. One day he hopes to be chef and own a restaurant called Cafe Kirk and he already has a menu for it. He also plans to be a singer/songwriter and he has already written lyrics to about 10 songs. We have received offers for him to review music for online magazines and to have his videos previewed on other media outlets before they go on YouTube. Quite frankly we are overwhelmed by all of this and don't want deny him an opportunity that might help him in his future but at the same time we don't want to ruin it for him. Any thoughts you have on this issue would be appreciated since we are quite naive in this arena.

Thank you for taking an interest in Joshua,

Sincerely,
Diane and Steve Kirk

______

My note back:

My audience LOVED Joshua! Got a ton of e-mail about his videos.

As for accepting the offers belowâ?¦

1. I am not a parent.

2. The entertainment business is sleazy and treats people badly. They want your child today, for the novelty effect, and there's a good chance they will be done with him tomorrow. Can your child handle the disappointment? See the documentary on HBO about Chris Crocker:

http://connect.hbo.com/events/documentaries/chris-crocker-chat/

He got famous on the Net for a YouTube clip saying "Leave Britney Alone" (after she shaved her head), got flown to L.A., did all kinds of deals, then was forgotten and is now doing porn.

Or Rebecca Black. Who had a gigantic YouTube video and then was ridiculed and dropped out of school only to find she had no career.

Then again, Joshua is already on YouTubeâ?¦

I dreamed of being a child actor (delusionally, I lived in a suburb in CT), but if I had a kid today I would never let him be one, or chase fame, because it's almost always fleeting. Get an education, reach your twentiesâ?¦then, when you're more experienced and emotionally mature, take a chance.

Really, you have a special kid. Warms my heart just to watch him online.

Bob Lefsetz