Boys Are Like Punctuation Marks

Today is National Punctuation Day and, as a mom and an English teacher, I just have one thing to say: Boys are like punctuation marks.

When they’re little bundles of blue, they’re a big question mark. How will I raise a son? Are they really that different from little girls? Does that truck noise come built in?

When they’re toddlers, the exclamation point looms large! No! Don’t climb on that! Put that down right now! Life is so exciting with a toddler!

Preschoolers take us back to question mark land, as they ask thousands of questions, one after the other. Why is the sky blue? How does a plane fly? Why can’t I climb to the top of the tree?

When they reach school age, some boys enter a declarative phase, ending their statements with a period. There’s so much to learn and share. The abbreviation for water is H20. Lions are the king of the jungle. You can make a flame with hair spray and a match. (Well, maybe that last one should be an exclamation point.)

The teen years? For boys, they’re often marked by the ellipsis… Lots of space, lots of pauses, between statements.

My sons moved through all those phases and more.

One was undoubtedly characterized by the question mark—with NO space between. He was one question after another.

Another was, and is, Mr. Period. Short, sweet, and to the point. End of sentence.

Another I’d call Mr. Quotation Mark. He was always telling a story, complete with dialogue.

Then there was Mr. Bottom Line—just what you’d expect from the firstborn. This is the way it is, period.

If I had to choose one punctuation mark to represent my “boy mom” life, it would definitely be the exclamation point. It’s a ‘boy mom’ life for me!!

And I wouldn't have it any other way!

For the love of boys,
Laura