Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US campus) parents.

1982		Eble Campus Sl. Spring 6: parental units – the people who raise you.
1994		Zap mag. Aug. n.p.: Parental units love making rules – that and forcing us to eat over-cooked vegetables are like the only fringe benefits of raising kids.
1997–2001		Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 parental units n 1. parents. Origin: from the movie The Coneheads. (‘I’ve got to call the parental units before they start worrying.’).