The answers to a recent interest inventory Curtis took at school

1.) My favorite kind of pet- Bunny
2.) I am really good at- Art and Math
3.) I collect- Coins
4.) Something I really like to do is- Draw Roads
5.) I take lessons in- Swimming
6.) Something you should know about me- My favorite color is red and I have autism.
7.) The worst show on T.V. is- Baseball
8.) I read books about- Big Nate, Animals, Science
                                                                                 9.) The food I really hate is- Carrots
                                                                                 10,) The best tasting foods are- Red Peppers, Apples, Sour Pickles, and Watermelon.

Curtis

Curtis' coins more closely resemble a hoarding than a collection. While he has cooled in his pursuit of coins in the last half year, he does still hit up family members for change and does well at Nana's house on the weekend. He keeps an open roll of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters on a shelf in the living room and marches a finished roll up to a box in his room too heavy to lift. He then adds the sum of the new contents to the last figure on the sheet for a new total. So far there is still no intended use of the proceeds as he expects to never cash any of it in for any reason, ever.

Greg, Dad

Along with the survey, Curtis also filled out a worksheet on what he can and can't do when he grows up.

I will be able to

A.) Tie my shoes
B.) Watch inappropriate videos (because swearing is just so funny)
C.) WIpe my own butt

I won't be able to

A.) Ask for help tying my shoes
B.) Cry in a Store
C.) Order off the kids menu!

Curtis is not a big fan of cigarette smoking. The only things he knows about cigarettes are that they are addictive and that they kill people. Naturally we've told Curtis this because we want him to have no interest in smoking at any time ever. Plus, well, it's true. He gets "obsessed" with certain games, activities, etc. for a short period of time and we are already worried about what could happen down the road should he ever sample drugs or alcohol so we're just jumping on the whole lot earlier than might be expected. Knowing what Curtis knows about smoking, he has taken a no nonsense approach to the subject. He's willing to give strangers a pass but if you are a family member or loved one with a cigarette then watch out. You'll barely flick the lighter before you hear a scream of "STOP SMOKING!!!".

A week ago on July 3rd Curtis caught a few family members sneaking in a butt and was determined to curb the activity. Knowing there was a family gathering the following day, he started early in the morning by having his Aunt Susie help him with a No Smoking sign. A classic red circle and a cigarette with a line through it which was hung on the porch. Feeling this was not enough, he wrote out and cut about 10 individual citations with a $2.00 fine for anyone he caught smoking. Almost immediately he began keeping an eye on the "smoking area" and started handing out citations to anyone he caught smoking and expected immediate payment. He made a few dollars but his main concern is keeping the circle of people he loves on the planet as long as possible. He isn't interested in your reasons for smoking, he just wants you to stop. And his parents are happy to stand back and let him give you grief for doing it :)

Greg, Dad

Plenty of 7 year old kids enjoy basketball but don't play quite the same way as Curtis. He lines himself in front of the hoop and shoots granny style with the goal of making as many shots as possible. He tallies the score in his head and and multiplies the number of makes by 2 or 5. A made hoop is followed by a sentence like "Score!, 18 in a row, score 36." A few minutes later, "Score!, 27 in a row, score 54". His goal is to make as many as possible in the time he has at that hoop and that goal is uncompromising. I usually don't even notice anymore until another kid shows up and says "Woah, that kid's smart, is he right?" He is right about the number of shots made and he'll also keep your tally if you ask him but the shots were not in a row. He claims all of his makes are consecutive.

Curtis gets very easily "obsessed" with an activity. He has had temporary obsessions with using sidewalk chalk, playing with his Thomas table and collecting coins. Collecting to be interpreted as trying to obtain any coin he can see and frisk acquaintances for their spare change. Basketball was also an obsession so it was restricted to dad and Curtis time, for which I'm grateful. It's a wind down time in the evening for both of us and a time when I'm most likely to get his ear.

Greg, Dad