America's Rent-A-Moms Further Infantilise Students

It's natural for parents to worry about any child going off to university for the first time, particular if that journey involves studying in another country. However, companies in the US are capitalising on this anxiety by offering college rent-a-parents. Billed as a new type of concierge service, companies are offering students in the US an adult for hire that will perform a number of pseudo parental functions, including the provision of meals, making beds, general cleaning and course advice – many of the even give hugs if necessary. Other companies feature “parents” who will come and collect a student after midnight, meaning they don’t have to take an Uber by themselves.

Currently female “parents” are the most popular. Services offered include setting up students’ dorm rooms in their preferred colour scheme – this isn’t an entirely outré idea, as Ivy League schools have been offering student and staff decorating services for dorms and offices for years – making beds; taking in parcels; organising and accompanying students to medical appointments; bringing over soup; and even advising on which modules and teachers to choose. Prices vary but for $10,000 for an academic year (that’s how much Concierge Services for Students in Boston, which describes itself as “a mom away from home”, charges), you can expect all of the above to be addressed. Other services charge a similar amount per term.

While these services are currently grabbing headlines, this particular iteration of this idea is currently in its infancy. However, the idea isn’t entirely novel: “sorority house moms” – employed to look after domestic matters and deal with emotional drama in those weird residential sisterhoods named after a Greek letter – is a well-established part of US college culture.

Naturally, the idea remains controversial for a number of reasons. It is not simply another opportunity for self-care, allowing students using the service for focus on their work. These services might be considered a manifestation of the further infantilization of young people who, in many cases, are legal adults. Traditionally, college is a time to become intendent. Such independence has positive impacts on student mental health, as well as their ability to perform self-care later in life. Independence also has its own social currency. The service is another potential marker for the growing divide between students from comfortable backgrounds and those who face fiscal challenges when entering higher education. Whether these factors impact the service’s popularity is undecided.

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