I've been retired for some years as a university worker bee. I've seen trends come and go and what you describe was definitely one of them. I'd get into work early and take a few laps around the quad for some exercise. There were definitely some helicopter moms chatting with their daughters at 7:30 AM or so on the way to class...
My 3rd daughter knows that I’m up early, so she calls or texts if she wants someone to pay attention to her. If I don’t have time, I just say, “Oh, huh,” and similar phrases.