Social Skills

I'm driving up the mountain in a car I bought for its extreme cuteness and low price tag, wondering why does Robert's school have to be on top of an effing mountain? While I make a tricky left turn (well, let’s face it, all left turns are tricky, aren’t they?) Robert is telling me how to beat level 19 in Super Mario star catcher.
I decide that I'd be doing him a favor if I explain, tactfully, how important it is not to bore people. If no one tells him to curb this aspie behavior, he will likely grow up to monologue about physics at parties and thus alienate the cooler type of person.

Me: Honey, I’m not really interested in hearing more about this.
Silence.
Me: I’m really interested in you. I just, you know, think it’s really fun to play computer games, but not so much fun to hear about them.
Rob: My friend N likes to hear about them.
Me: Different people like different things. You know, like if I said to you, what kind of cushions should we get for the porch sofa? Should we get brown flowery ones? Or green leafy ones? What would you say?
Rob (Thoughtfully and sweetly): I would say we should get green leafy ones.
Me (Picturing the cushions):Hmm. OK.
Rob: Mom, why do you like furniture so much?
Me: Well. I want to make our house pretty, and comfortable, and I like thinking about it. It’s like doing a painting—I think about the colors, and the shapes, and it also has to be useful (and cheap). So there are lots of things to consider. But I won’t go on and on.
Rob: I won’t go on and on either.
Me: Don’t worry about it. Finish what you were saying.
Rob: I’ll just tell up to level 20. That’s the last level.