I agree that this was blown way out of proportion by the media, but would it have been that hard for the guy to just show the kid around the cab without mic'ing him up. It's cool enough for a little kid to see the view from the tower. Why risk your job?

With Liveatc.net, everyone listening on freq, and the tapes rolling downstairs, it would have been a smarter play to just let him listen in; especially these days. Hindsight is 20-20... but I hope he gets back to work either way.