Mother for me made excuses <br />When I was a little lad; <br />Found some reason for my conduct <br />When it had been very bad. <br />Blamed it on a recent illness <br />Or my nervousness and told <br />Father to be easy with me <br />Every time he had to scold. <br />And I knew, as well as any <br />Roguish, healthy lad of ten, <br />Mother really wasn't telling <br />Truthful things to father then. <br />I knew I deserved the whipping, <br />Knew that I'd been very bad, <br />Knew that mother knew it also <br />When she intervened with dad. <br />I knew that my recent illness <br />Hadn't anything to do <br />With the mischief I'd been up to, <br />And I knew that mother knew. <br />But remembering my fever <br />And my nervous temperament, <br />Father put away the shingle <br />And postponed the sad event. <br />Now his mother, when I threaten <br />Punishment for this and that, <br />Calls to mind the dreary night hours <br />When beside his bed we sat. <br />Comes and tells me that he's nervous, <br />That's the reason he was bad, <br />And the boy and doting mother <br />Put it over on the dad. <br />Some day when he's grown as I am, <br />With a boy on mischief bent, <br />He will hear the timeworn story <br />Of the nervous temperament. <br />And remembering the shingle <br />That aside I always threw, <br />All I hope is that he'll let them <br />Put it over on him, too.<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/mothers-excuses/
