Although there have been instances of hot-housed child prodigies gone awry, parents of bright sparks say if they do not act early, their children may languish. SMU Senior Lecturer of Strategic Management, Pamela Lim, 47, said four of her five children went to university at 14 because they were ready to. Her youngest, a nine-year-old boy, shows similar promise. "The point about going to university early is that the kid is suffering in a normal school. Lessons, learning, everything seems to be moving in slow motion, it's painful for them," she said. Her two daughters - Sue-ann and Jo-ann, now 17 and 15 - had applied to universities and secured places for themselves before approaching her. She recalled: "They said, 'Mummy, we want to go to university. Can you fund us?' As a parent, what do you do? You let them go and support them."