MOVE OVER, MARIO LOPEZ

So, this week's Superbook for school is "Rosita Amor."

Chago usually breezes through his superbooks in a day, takes it back, gets the next one, and so on and so forth.  

But with Rosita Amor, we've had just a little bit of difficulty.  There are a number of Spanish words in the book, that are likely to be read by most of the children in an anglicized way, I know, but which we insist our children read correctly.  Like, Rosita Amor, Pedro's Bodega, and Puerto Rico, for instance.

And because of our last name, the kids really don't have any trouble at all rolling their r's, but for whatever reason, these words for Chago just demanded emphasis.  And nothing that I could say or do seemed to deter him from that path.

We must've read that damn book 10 times, and every single time just as I'm saying "It's just another word.  Just read it like you would any other word on the page,"  he's already halfway into his emcee voice as he says, "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroh-SEE-tha  Ahhhhhh-morrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"  Like she's running up the aisle on the Price is Right, boobies jiggling and all.

"Bubba, there's no need for all the emphasis.  Just read it normally," I plead.

"PEHHHHHHH-drrrrrrrrrrrro's Boh-DEHHHHHHHHHH-gahhhhhhh!!" he continues.

"Chago, come on, son.  Is that really how you're gonna read it tomorrow?"

"But I really like that word," he says.  "Boh-DEHHHHHH-gahhhhhhhh," he repeats, letting it roll slowly around his mouth and off his tongue like maple syrup or creme brulee.

"Yes, babe, they're great words, but we really just need to get through this book sometime tonight."

"Okay, okay," he says.  "Rrrrrrrrroh-SEE-tha missed all the flowers of...of...PUERRRRRRR-toh RRRRRRRRRRRRi-coh!!!!!"

Oh, forget it.