The Lancs Uni Mum is the unsung hero of every student house

Every uni house or flat has one, whether they know it or not. You may even be one yourself. Uni mums are what keep the flat sane – because someone’s got to!

I speak from a position of being a proud uni mum myself, to four boys and a girl. Not exactly the direction I expected my life to have gone in once I got to university, but here we are.

Here are some things uni mums do that might help you realise you are indeed the designated mum, or that you have one yourself and never realised. Just remember to get her a card on Mother's Day.

They complain about always doing the cleaning

Uni mums do this one a lot, but then again they also do a lot of the cleaning. The first time I found myself complaining about the dishes being left on the side, I realised how my own mother felt when I did that exact thing at home. It became clear to me that the daughter had become the mother. It was time to embrace my new role.

The Lancaster Uni mum will find herself drawing up a cleaning rota only for it to be used as a cloth during pres, or running to the on-campus Spar every other day to pick up more bin bags. She never stops.

They cook for you

If a housemate seems to be consuming some poorly assembled meals and pot noodles for breakfast, the flat mum will likely take pity on them and cook them a proper meal.

My defining moment as the house mum was definitely single-handedly cooking the roast dinner for House Christmas and making sure everyone ate their brussel sprouts. And you best believe I complained when I was told they were "too salty." Why do I bother?

The house descends into chaos when they aren’t there

As a uni mum, the prospect of leaving the house for a couple of days during reading week is terrifying. You don’t know what you are going to come back to.

The bins might be overflowing, the kitchen could be covered in a layer of grease, everyone might have fallen out with each other. Sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth the risk, despite needing a well deserved break from parenthood.

Their housemates are their children

A uni mum will always be there for a hug, if that is what makes her uni children happy. You realise that the love you feel for these people isn’t what you have experienced in previous friendships.

You feel pride when they get to the George Fox Building on time, or manage to eat a healthy meal instead of another load of Sultan's cheesy chips. The responsibility you feel is strange but real. You feel like you have gained enough experience to raise an actual child well.

They are always drinking echo falls

Well, this one could go for a lot of uni students, but the uni mum in particular loves a good glass of wine. Sometimes looking after full grown children 24 hours of the day can be quite exhausting. That doesn’t stop you from having a boogie on a Friday night, just so long as all your children get home safely.

This list is certainly not conclusive. Every uni mum is different, and shows love for her uni kids in different ways. If you are indeed a uni mum, keep doing what you’re doing – you’re doing a great job. If you are a uni child, go and tell your uni mum how much you appreciate them, they love being noticed!