<p>Meanwhile, my son got rejected from MIT. 
(But he loved Carnegie Mellon, we have no regrets he’s in his dream job at Google.) He liked Math Counts, but while he qualified for AIME never scored that well. I completely agree with Calmom, you want your kid to be pulling you not you pushing him, but it’s sometimes hard to tell which is which. One of the best books I have read on the subject is *Searching for Bobby Fischer. *It’s about the delicate dance of recognizing talent, nurturing it and trying not to go overboard. (And recognizing and forgiving yourself if you do go overboard. Most kids are pretty resilient and resistant to parents getting too enthusiastic.) Enjoy your kid!</p>