The following email came from a test-crazed Sparkler who is really feeling the heat:

Hi, my name is Anna. Recently, I found out that one of our family friends' son just got a 32 on the ACT. That doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well...he's in the 7th grade and was doing that for the Duke Talent Identification Program. When I was his age, I did the same thing and only scored a 20.

I am miffed and a smidge jealous, but now my parents are breathing down my neck because they want me to beat his score since I am now in the 10th grade and going to take my first ACT in April. They keep pressuring me to practice and when I did take the practice test for English and scored a 27, my father called me a failure and said I'd never amount to anything. Yes indeed, that hurt very much. We aren't on much speaking terms at the moment; so how do I tell them to stop pressuring me and let me study at my own pace?

Picture this: You’re sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner with your extended family and just as you’re about to enjoy your first bite of mashed potatoes, your aunt leans over and says, “So, have you figured out your college plans, dear?” Before you can answer your mom says, “We have our hearts set on Stanford, don’t we dear?” Then, before you can clarify that your mom has her heart set on Stanford and you would be happy to get into one of the state schools where the rest of your friends are going, your dad chimes in, “Yeah, but first you need to get your SAT scores up about 500 points if you expect any school to take you.”