A Boy

A boy is not a boy
Until he climbs a tree
Or falls to the ground
And skins his knee.

A boy is not a boy
Until he tears his shirt
Or rolls on the ground
And gets full of dirt.

A boy is not a boy
Until he has a dog
To run and play with
All the day long.

A boy is not a boy
Until he loses a wrench
Or spills the paint
All over the bench.

A boy is not a boy
Until he cries to mother
And she gives him a cookie
And he wants another.

A boy is not a boy
Until he wrecks his bike
And asks his dad
To fix it right.

A boy is not a boy
Until he starts to school
And pulls a pigtail
Or breaks a rule.

A boy will be a boy
According to plan
And grow in stature
To become a man.