College Students Having Their Parents Stay On Campus?
Some first year college students are having one or both of their parents stay on campus – you know, to help with college things.
By nowproducerdave on September 24, 2018
This is the beginning of a new trend, I think. In some cases I sort of understand it, but at the same time, college isn’t just about learning. It’s about experiencing – as in it’s a way to prepare yourself for the real world. Take care of yourself, clean yourself, and manage your own schedule.
But some students are having their parents stay with them on campus. Not in the dorms, it’s not quite like that. But parents are actually camping in tents on campus, ready to help their kids. It’s not just one or two parents – at one school the freshman class has over 1,000 parents camping out. They’re staying in a gym near the dorm rooms. When a student needs some food, mom is there. If a student needs help with school work, one of their parents might be able to. Their dorm is dirty? A quick call and help is on the way to clean.
The one school we’re talking about is in China. It make a little more sense there than it would here, but I bet a lot of first-year students would jump at the chance to have one or both of their parents stay on campus. In China, a lot of the students grew up in the country on farms. They’ve literally never been away from home, and maybe didn’t even have modern amenities. In that case, I certainly understand why they might need some help. Also, most of these families were under China’s “one child” law, which has since been abolished (in 2016). The college started the parent program, calling it “tents of love.” It’s supposed to help first year students become accustomed to college life, as a gradual “release into the wild.” Truly, it probably helps the parents a lot, too.
At the same time, it’s being argued that it’s simply contributing to the “coddling generation” that exists today. What do you think – is it good to have a first-year student’s parents on campus, or should they be persuaded to “jump in?” Source.
