Parents are hiring ‘concierge moms’ to help their kids at college, but is it a bad idea? | USA Today
In the bustling cities that host our nation’s colleges and universities, a new trend is emerging that caters to the anxieties of parents sending their offspring miles away for higher education. Mindy Horwitz’s “mindyKNOWS” service, launched in 2019, offers a unique solution: a concierge mom for college students. This service, available at institutions like Penn State and Northwestern, promises parents peace of mind by providing their children with a local, knowledgeable point of contact for anything from health scares to birthday celebrations. Horwitz’s team positions themselves as an extension of the family, ready to offer advice, personal recommendations, and logistical support in their city, ensuring that parents can rest easy knowing their child has someone to turn to in times of need.
However, this innovative approach to bridging the gap between home and college life has sparked a debate about the implications for young adults’ development. Critics argue that such services may inadvertently hinder the growth of essential life skills, suggesting that the road to independence is paved with personal challenges and problem-solving opportunities. Clinical psychologist Emily Edlynn emphasizes the importance of allowing students to navigate their solutions, warning that well-intentioned interventions might delay their development into self-sufficient adults. This perspective suggests that the journey through college should involve learning to manage one’s health appointments and understanding how to utilize campus resources, fostering a sense of autonomy and confidence.
Despite these concerns, “mindyKNOWS” insists that its services do not encroach on the students’ independence, focusing instead on providing support that complements their efforts to manage their lives. The service, which ranges from $49 for a month to $1,600 for all four years, explicitly excludes doing laundry or cooking meals, reinforcing that students are expected to handle the day-to-day tasks of college life themselves. Horwitz and her team aim to act as an extended family, stepping in only when needed and working to build relationships that allow students to feel supported without becoming reliant.
This model of support raises questions about the balance between helping and hovering in the context of modern parenting and the transition to adulthood. As students embark on their college journey, the challenge for parents is to find ways to provide support that encourages independence rather than dependency. The debate around services like “mindyKNOWS” highlights the broader conversation about how best to prepare young adults for the complexities of the real world, suggesting that the ultimate goal is to equip them with the skills and confidence to navigate life’s challenges independently………….
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Rising Dough
In the evolving landscape of higher education and parental involvement, consider the impact of external support services like “mindyKNOWS” on the traditional college experience. How might the availability of such services influence the relationship between students and their engagement with the broader economic and social systems in which they are embedded?
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This allows for a family nearby their child to help support them while they are in college for very little every month acting as support through their time in college. This will help them understand their surrounding in this new place. Very little people are able to do this going from a different state of distant city. This will help economically because you aren’t doing the laundry or cooking meals for 49 dollars. This leaves you focused on other things that maybe important like schoolwork.