The Freshman Proctor Marietta family's son plays with his soccer ball in their apartment.

Nora Molyneaux lives in a first floor suite in Grays Hall with newly painted walls. Her bright pink bike sits in the hallway outside her door.

She rarely makes it on time to her entryway’s study breaks, but she has a close relationship with the proctors—occasionally waking them up in the middle of the night.

She can be a picky eater and isn’t always happy with the food in Annenberg Hall.

Life for Nora, who is almost three years old, isn’t so different from those of the college freshmen who live around her.

Lindsay C. Page and Bradley J. Molyneaux, Nora’s parents, are co-proctors in Grays this year. They are among the five proctor couples raising children in freshman dorms. Three more are expected to join by the end of the academic year.

While raising children on a college campus has its difficulties, proctor parents say Harvard Yard is a welcoming and stimulating place to raise their children.

THROUGH PARENTS’ EYES

Growing up on campus is different from the typical American suburban life—these children spend some of their day interacting with students more than four times their age.

“There are always unexpected things happening,” Page says, citing the spontaneous performances of the marching band and various choral societies in the yard as examples.

“It’s exciting to view those sorts of wacky college campus happenings through Nora’s eyes,” Page says.

While they are surrounded by undergraduates on all sides, proctors say their families are able to form a close community on campus. They often go to museums together or organize picnics in the yard so that their children can interact with others their age.

Sky, who is co-proctoring with her husband Geoff in Grays, says the proctor parent community on campus came to her aid after her son Harlan was born. The couple did not wish to publish their last names for this article.

“I had a pretty difficult labor and when we came back [on campus] the other proctors had arranged to bring us meals,” she says.

Sometimes the undergraduates in their entryway help make parenting a little bit easier.

One day when Nora had to return home sick from day care, Page sent an e-mail to her entryway asking for help, and one of her freshman looked after Nora for part of the day.