Parents and other adults are constantly trying to make a point with children. Depending upon the age of the child and the frustration of the adult, this often becomes a difficult challenge. We are surrounded by so many definitions and colloquial uses of the word "point," it is no surprise confusion becomes part of our conversations.

Airlines give "points" for future trips with air miles. Parents check their "points" on their monthly credit card bills. Drug stores give "points" toward financial rebates. Weight Watchers clients compute the "points" for each food item they’ve eaten on a given day.

Students learn very quickly the importance of "points" on a test or writing assignment. "Points" can mean the difference between passing or failing a course and earning a certain letter grade. Each school division or college sets its own number of "points" for earning a specific letter grade. It is useful for a student to keep in mind the starting and ending "point" for each letter grade when working toward a specific goal. At some "point in time," if students have studied hard in a particular course and are still not achieving their goal, they may have to reach out to their "point-of-contact" (aka, their teacher) and ask for specific suggestions before the problem has reached "the point of no return."

Sports are another place where children and youth learn about the role of a "point." From tiny tot soccer recreation league teams through the high school varsity football teams, all participants learn how to keep score by remembering how many "points" their team has accrued.

In a soccer game, the number of "points" scored is usually in single digits. In "point of fact," a strong basketball team can "drive their point home" by running up the score against their opponent until which team is the winner that day is "a moot point." Coaches and parents often try to "stretch the point" that the actual score is not the important part of the game. Children rarely take that message to heart.

As you are now aware, there are many ways to use the word "point." It could be a punctuation mark, a sharp end of a tool, a particular spot or place, a single detail, or a unit of scoring. In the end, what is "the point?"

The "point" is communication. Adults need to work on communication with the children in their lives. Words have consequences.