Helen Grant - Ghostwriter

I am a nomad. There, I said it. I could live in so many places, all at once. I get confused by the volume of choice. Life would be so much easier if earth was the only place we could live, and there were no countries, cities, towns and villages.

Choice is good but I hate it because it confuses me. Where do I go when I want to be everywhere? And of course, I have children to consider, who are the most important thing, so whatever decision I make has to be what is best for them.

I don’t necessarily think staying in one place is best for kids. Good for friendships, yes, and extended family, but not necessarily for broadening horizons, exploring culture and history and geography, and teaching kids that there’s a big wide world out there begging to be explored.

So, I won’t feel guilty for moving my kids about. As long as they get a decent education, stay in touch with friends from wherever they’ve touched based, and stay in one place long enough to learn something from that place, I’ll know I’ve done my job.

I stayed in one place my whole childhood and it gave me a sense of security and upbringing (I thank my parents for that) but it left me with a yearning to explore the world. Kids feel safe when they are loved by their parents. As for whether to roam or not to roam, there is no right or wrong way, and thank God for that.

I think I am feeling homesick for my childhood, as I seem to be drawn to those gorgeous comics I used to read when I was seven or eight, and nine and ten. In the 1970s and early 80s, I would rush home from school on a Thursday so excited, because it was the day that my Girl comic was delivered! Before that, it was Twinkle, and after Girl ceased publication, afer a brief period of mourning I switched my attention to Nikki - or was it Jackie, or Tracy or Judy?

I can’t remember the date order, but they were all similar because they put a spring in my step and a sparkle in my heart. Who could resist those cute drawings of Nurse Nancy and Baby Ben? Those comics seem largely forgotten now, yet they were so beautifully illustrated and the stories seemed so innocent compared to the stuff that you see in children’s and teenage comics today. It’s a childhood memory of mine I will always cherish.