The moment I figured out what was happening, this story lost some of its magic for me. Before that, it was just barely sci-fi (nanotech, nanopaint, but all as incidental to the story of the dad and his son), which I respect, but I think I was distracted by trying to figure out WHY this story was on EP in the first place. I do tend to read things at a surface level first and foremost, and not consider the deeper layers until much later, and that's probably a personal failing.
I also found the writing occasionally distracting -- "I considered striking him." Whose internal monologue says that, exactly? (This is not a commentary on parenting, but on word choice by the author.) There were other instances of it as well.
I think the narrator is great, although when the MC is named "Bill Chapman", I'm not sure if his particular accent fits the story. I would love to hear from him again, though.