<But this little vignette certainly doesn't sound like evidence of a child who will turn out to have the "eye of the tiger".>

I'm not sure what the 'eye of the tiger' is - could you explain?

<It sounds like an unhappy kid who's trying to appease his mom while she is pushing him, and/or actually does need her as a crutch-- either is not good in my opinion.>

Or it could actually be a kid like the one I've been describing, a mostly self-directed 11 year old with a very strong internal locus of control who has learned over the six years since that day that he doesn't have to let fear of failure dominate his attitude to life, and as a result is setting and meeting his own ambitious goals.