Mrs. Gray always dreads bedtime because her children, Bobby, Larry, and Susan, complain every evening about being made to go to bed. Frustrated, Mrs. Gray begins calling other parents for advice. The first two are no help, but then she remembers Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tells Mrs. Gray that not wanting to go to bed is “one of the commonest of the children’s ailments” (81). She suggests that Mrs. Gray stop telling the children to go to bed and instead let them stay up as late as they want. Mrs. Gray is concerned about her children’s health but agrees to try the cure. That night, Mr. and Mrs. Gray go to bed at 10:30, but Bobby, Larry, and Susan stay up late playing parchesi. The next morning, Dick Thomson’s mother comes over and offers to take the children to the beach, but they are still sleeping. They are upset when they learn they missed the trip.

The next night, the children stay up late playing tiddlywinks. Mrs. Gray wakes them up for a morning dentist appointment, and they are exhausted the next day. That night, they go outside to roller skate and are yelled at to be quiet by a neighbor.