A young man volunteered to babysit one evening so his mother could go out and enjoy a quiet night with her friends.

At first, everything seemed easy. The children played for a while, had their snacks, and eventually bedtime arrived. The young man sent them all upstairs, turned off most of the lights, and settled comfortably on the couch to watch football.

But a few minutes later, one little boy quietly crept down the stairs.

“Back to bed,” the young man said firmly.

The child turned around and went upstairs.

Not long after, the same little boy appeared again, peeking around the corner.

“I said bedtime,” the young man repeated, pointing upstairs.

This happened several times, and each time the young man became more impatient. He was trying to watch the game, and he wasn’t about to let one child ruin the evening.

At exactly 9:00 p.m., the doorbell rang.

The young man opened the door and found the next-door neighbor standing there.

“Good evening,” she said. “Is my son here by any chance?”

The young man frowned and answered quickly, “No, he’s not here.”

Just then, a little head popped out at the top of the stairs.

A small voice shouted,

“I’m here, Mom, but he won’t let me go home!”