The Unexpected Joy of Being Single

by Catherine Gray

She also asks me what I felt was missing from my childhood and I reply instantly: ‘Stability and security’. Why? We moved around a lot, moving house six times before I was 18, including a huge move from Northern Ireland to England. I went to five different schools, and I observed the breakdown of three major relationships before 18 too: that of my mum and dad (when I was 10) and their subsequent long-term partners. Moving around taught me invaluable lessons, such as how to flex to new people and places, how to make friends, and how to start again, but at the time, I just wanted to stay still.