I don't think that is a "soft period" as parent is saying is the use of semicolons. I think it is - as the name implies - a semi colon. Or a soft colon, if you will.
It could sooner be replaced by a colon than a full stop. And I agree with your usage.
> Semicolons are used by people who find highly nested code to be natural and necessary: They add another level to the outline.
> It could sooner be replaced by a colon than a full stop.
Use it as you like, of course, but by the rules of grammar that is quite misleading. A semicolon must separate (or connect) two independent clauses, just like a period; a colon has many uses. Here is the Chicago Manual of Style:
"A colon introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon. Between independent clauses it functions much like a semicolon (see 6.56), and in some cases either mark may work as well as the other; use a colon sparingly, however, and only to emphasize that the second clause illustrates or amplifies the first. (The colon usually conveys or reinforces the sense of "as follows"; see also 6.64.) The colon may sometimes be used instead of a period to introduce a series of related sentences (as in the third example below)."