WHAT STUDENTS WRITE IN THE 528 TEXTS THEY SEND TO MUM EVERY YEAR - (CAN YOU LEND ME £20? IS TOP)

When a child leaves for university, it is often their first major step towards independence... or so most parents hope.

But it turns out that today's young students find it difficult to fully fly the nest – sending 528 text messages a year asking for help.

Grown-up children turn to Mum and Dad for everything from money worries and cooking questions to work concerns and DIY disasters, according to a study.

Top of the message list was 'can you send me £20?' followed by 'how do I know if chicken is cooked?' and 'how do I read the electricity meter?'

Other 'SOS' texts parents regularly receive include 'where is the stopcock?', 'is food always this expensive?' and 'what questions do I ask in a job interview?'

The survey, commissioned by Costa Coffee, spoke to 2,000 parents whose children had left for university in the past five years and 1,000 teenagers.

So clingy are some students that 61 per cent of parents surveyed said it feels as though their child never left home. And one in four parents admitted that even though the way they communicate has changed, their relationship has not.

But not every parent is irritated by these cries for help. In fact, eight in ten said they secretly love getting messages asking for help.

Dr Ritika Suk Birah, a consultant counselling psychologist, said: 'It doesn't surprise me that so many parents secretly love receiving these messages. 

'Parenting changes as children become adults but the instinct to support and guide them doesn't suddenly switch off.

'Being asked for advice, even about something as simple as a CV or an electricity meter, can be a lovely reminder that you still have an important place in your child's life.'

A Costa Coffee spokesperson added: 'While parents may receive more texts from their children when they're away at university, the messages are about much more than burnt dinners and missing house keys. Whether it’s asking for advice, sharing a win or simply checking in, those small conversations - and the simple ritual of meeting over a coffee - help families stay close during one of life’s biggest transitions.

'Through New Grounds, Costa is passing the mic to students and letting them set the framework for communication success, because there’s no perfect formula for staying connected and often the smallest messages mean the most.'

New Grounds is Costa Coffee's campaign celebrating real-life progress and the small moments that help people navigate life's big transitions.

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2026-09-09T22:24:16Z