I think it’s important to move away from home, even if you then return later. I went to my local university, still living with my parents, but then I got a postgraduate scholarship to London University. I was quite daunted at the prospect, but those years in London were among the best of my life, and opened my eyes to so many things I would never have experienced if I’d stayed in my home town.
When my children were applying to university, I more or less told them they must go away. One would never have stayed anyway, but my elder boy had to be pushed a bit. I feel it was an important step in their growing up.
I think I was influenced by my mother, who had grown up in a Lancashire village where, she said, getting engaged was the most important thing. She then went to university in Liverpool, which opened her eyes and expanded her life the way London did for me.
So in my case and that of my family, I feel that moving away from home is enriching and staying in one place would be stultifying. I accept that some people don’t agree, and I think it’s best for children not to move about too much. It’s something to do when you are becoming independent.