
A gentle, wry voice introduces us to a sprightly little boy whose boundless energy keeps his mother on her toes. His antics—especially the frequent nighttime mishaps—are recounted with a blend of exasperation and affection that feels both intimate and universally familiar. The narrator’s humor shines through each rhyme, turning ordinary household chaos into moments of unexpected tenderness.
As the verses unfold, the poem becomes a nostalgic portrait of childhood’s fleeting joys and inevitable growing‑up moments. The speaker reflects on how the boy’s innocent mischief once filled the home with both frustration and love, hinting at the deeper bonds that form when patience is tested. With a subtle, bittersweet tone, the piece invites listeners to recall their own early days of caregiving, celebrating the small, messy details that shape family life.
Language
en
Duration
~1 minutes (1K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: John Henry Nash, 1921.
Credits
Charlene Taylor, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2022-05-16
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1895
Best remembered for warm, playful poems for children, this American writer mixed humor, tenderness, and an ear for everyday speech. His verses helped make him one of the most popular newspaper poets of the late 19th century.
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