Why does a piano need to be kept in tune?

I hope you don't think this is a purist talking. I am one of those people who believe that a musician should be able to make music on a shoe. But a child does not have that power.

My definition of precision includes a child's ear. For a child a key on the piano is associated with a sound so specific that if it does not match the sound produced by a corresponding key on a different instrument the child will be disoriented--perhaps unable to play.

One of my students is disoriented when he touches my intune piano after playing his own instrument. If he played more consistently he would notice sooner that it is out of tune and perhaps say something, though he is shy and doesn't readily make demands.

If you are going to have a piano and if you expect your child to play it you simply must keep it in tune. If you really don't believe how important this is, I suggest that you take all the rulers in your home and bend them ever so slightly just to see what happens.