Need a Boost

I can't believe my second child is off to college this fall. Every time I see a young a family, I find myself saying, "Enjoy it!" even though I know those words fell on deaf ears when I heard them, oh about 5 minutes ago. But still, I am trying to enjoy it. I am trying to enjoy even this stage of college and not-quite-out-of-the-house-yet. My daughter insisted last week that she could just drive herself to a surgical procedure, "I AM 18, mom!" Yes, you are. And I'm going to enjoy even that remark!
A few weeks ago I accompanied her to college orientation. It was so wonderful being on a college campus and going to 'classes'. Even thought she's my second, I still needed orientation in a big way. One thing they reminded us as parents was about counseling services. "Everyone needs a boost now and then," they said, "That's what we're here for." It was so reassuring. I didn't even know I needed to hear that, but I did. I needed that boost. Even though Annie insists she is 18 and can handle any and everything, it's comforting to know there are people out there looking out for her and she can turn to them when she does need a boost.
Need a boost. This was something we often said in my house growing up. Was it a 70s thing? In our kitchen growing up, we had these big Early American chairs, that didn't easily glide across the floor. We didn't have booster seats or kid chairs so my younger brothers would often sit on the phone book (remember those?) at dinner. To climb up there you needed to hold the phone book still and swing your bum up on top. It helped to have a boost. "I need a boost!" someone would say. One person would hold the phone book and chair and then you could climb easily.
I also remember my cousins (I am one of 33 on my mother's side), heading off to the high school fields up the street to play and run around. Remember when kids did that? The fields were surrounded by big iron gates, but the older kids had found a way to climb in the fence at a low point as it scaled up the hill. It wasn't too too high for us to climb, but everyone under 10 needed a boost. The alternative was crawling on the asphalt through a little space at the corner of the gate - usually you came out the other side with lots of scrapes. So we would hold our hands out, fingers laced together and bend down for someone to step on them to get the boost they needed to climb over the fence. Once on the other side we could play in the big brick ticket booth, climb the bleachers, or hide under the honeysuckle and suck out honey to our hearts content. I can still remember the feeling of being hoisted over the fence, and of hoisting the younger kids. It is a great feeling either way - giving a boost and getting a boost. And maybe the best part is just knowing there is someone there to give you a boost, someone who will have your back and not let you fall as you take this risk, this big step, take on a new adventure. Someone who will bend down and let you use them to step up and get you where you need to go.
I think it works that way in parenting too. Saying "Enjoy it!" to the young mother in the grocery store is another way of giving a boost. You do make it through even though the days are long. And you survive. And I will survive college. Annie will too. She just may need a boost. And I may too.