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Few might consider me a good role model for children. But children, it seems, have other ideas. The Year 6 pupils of an east London primary last week sent me a card, pictures they'd drawn and letters thanking me for giving them a talk on my job.
"You are the best journalist in the world," declared one discerning 10-year-old. Another young chap had decided to follow in my footsteps and is now writing notes to himself on scraps of paper instead of going to bed.
They reminded me of when I sat cross-legged at school, listening to the children's author Michael Rosen talk about his job. He made it sound interesting and exciting; more importantly, he made it sound achievable. From then on, I read books thinking I could write one, too. Twenty years later, I did.
Adults decry the state of Britain's children - their obesity, violence and illiteracy - but rarely intervene in their lives. We stand aside as they misbehavein the streets; we blame the Government, schools and feckless parents, as though complaining will solve the problem itself. And while most of us would agree that mentoring schemes are a good thing, very few of us actually bother to find out about them or take part in them - even though they are a rare opportunity to influence young people positively.
The danger if we don't is that gang culture will fill the gaps in young people's lives where adults should be. In the absence of adult attention and supervision, they seek stability and recognition among themselves, while gaining no sense of how the real world actually works.
My sister, a youth worker, often meets 16-yearolds who think they'll become footballers (despite never playing for a team) and Wags. In the absence of adult guidance, they've grown up in la-la land. Many inner-city youngsters actually believe that dealing drugs will provide the lifestyle they see in hip-hop videos, when in reality it means prison.
I don't regard myself as a role model but my visit to that school showed me how easy it is to inspire children - and how much fun it is. It only took a morning of my time, but the kids felt valued: someone outside of their usual routine showed some interest in them.
Adults might rightly be wary of jumping in when they see kids fighting on the street. But perhaps these situations wouldn't arise if we'd bothered spending time with them in the first place.
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