Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[Eva Elisabeth]

I always interpreted that to be his mischievous behavior

Me too. I don't see the statement as expressing any worry about Tad. That's not to say Mary didn't worry, but the "troublesome" strikes me as something any mother would say about a high-spirited boy given to pranks.

Mary wrote that long after the assassination. My understanding was that the assassination had matured Tad and "cured" from pranks. I also seem to recall Robert in those times still stated worries about Tad's school deficiencies, so I thought the statement might rather have referred to this than to "behavior".