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The first 1,000 days of life shape every day that follows.
We need to know more about them.
A beat by Irene Caselli
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A very modern 70s cartoon
When I was little, my mom used to call me Mafalda, after a popular comic strip. Mafalda was first published on September 29, 1964 — 60 years ago this month. Created by Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known as Quino, the comic focuses on an
Forever in the archive
Why would you ever argue against daycare for every child?
It’s good for society, it’s good for your kids, and it’s good for the economy. If we want equal and prosperous societies, we should make daycare a universal right. When does education start? As late as 2011, Unesco* hadn’t even contemplated formal education for children under the age
The benefits of making mistakes
Growing up, mistakes were something to be avoided at all costs – or to be covered up if they ever happened. I was used to getting the best grades and had a hard time admitting to having done something wrong. So, when my newsletter last
What I’ll be writing about in 2020 – and how you can help
When I introduce myself to people as the First 1,000 Days correspondent, some think that I belong to a religious cult, others are simply confused. So I usually break it down for them and explain that I write about early childhood, reproductive rights, sexuality and
Callout: Join my first 1,000 days advisory board
As part of my exploration into the first 1,000 days of human life, I’d like to tell as many stories as possible, so I need to hear from you. The 1,000 days start, and they can look very different based on who you are and
Let’s talk about sex, baby (and gender, too)
Part of what we do here at The Correspondent is explain our learning curve as writers and bring our readers along for the sake of transparency. Last week, my latest article came out about my challenges as a feminist mother raising a boy. It started off as
From boys to feminists: raising a child in a gender-free environment
Wanting to raise a feminist son has forced me to confront some of my own uncomfortable biases. But a world without gender benefits boys just as much as girls.
A match made in Evin: an encounter that showed me no story is too small to tell
In this, the season for gift-giving, we correspondents reflect on interactions with members that have enriched our journalism. After my story on children born in Evin, Iran’s most notorious prison, I heard from a member still coming to terms with her birth there. Back in
We need to end the stigma around menstruation. Period
Last weekend, I travelled for about 30 hours to get from my birth family that was reunited in Trento, Italy, to the family I married into that lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some 25 hours into the journey, on the plane, I suddenly felt a
Trauma can be inherited. We need to understand what we’re passing on
When it comes to negative experiences in childhood, the body seems to keep score. But even small changes can positively affect health in later life.
Leaving crumbs behind
Little Thumb is one of those old fairytales with so many horrible details that it would never make it into a children’s book these days. It became popular in the 17th-century version, written by France’s Charles Perrault, the author of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The story
Forever in the archive:
Why I’m “wasting my time” writing about children
I will be blunt this week. If you are a parent or carer, or are expecting at some point in your life to be part of the first 1,000-day journey, I’m thrilled to have you among my readership. But you’re not the readers for whom
Let’s remember the day play went from being a privilege to a right
The Convention on the Rights of the Child set out to enshrine children’s wellbeing, safety and security – not to mention their right to play. There is much work still to be done, but on its 30th anniversary, it’s worth reflecting how much has been achieved.
Childhood pictures
If you have been reading my newsletters and my work for The Correspondent so far, you already know that I have a nine-month-old son, and that his name is Lorenzo. You will, however, not have seen an image of him, and that will stay like
Who can afford to become a mother?
Kabul-born illustrator Moshtari Hilal did this drawing to accompany my article in Unbias the News. I am using the drawing with their permission. Lorenzo was born nine months ago, on a Tuesday evening, 10 days earlier than the expected date. On the Monday night, unaware
How the things we don’t remember shape us just as much as those we do
Aged 12, Maryam Zaree discovered she had been born in one of Iran’s most notorious prisons. I spoke to her about her new documentary, Born in Evin, which explores childhood memory and trauma.
Doing the laundry
A laundromat may not be your ideal location to spend a Saturday afternoon. Even less so if you are out and about with a small child. But I have to admit that my Saturday afternoon doing laundry was actually quite pleasant. My family and I
What’s in a name?
“Is this a girl?” An elderly lady, seeing my baby, asked my husband and me this question as we were waiting to get on the funicular to visit Bergamo’s Upper City over the weekend. I smiled and replied: “His name is Lorenzo.” Except that in
Children are a quarter of the world’s population. Imagine urban planning from their point of view
What are your best memories of playing as a child? What were you doing? Were there any adults with you? It was the beginning of October, at the Health Summit in Uppsala, Sweden, and Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist, was putting these questions to an
Fathering
This weekend I met up with my parents and it surprised me that they both congratulated Nacho, my husband, for being a great father. Don’t get me wrong: Nacho is an amazing father. He spends many hours a day taking care of our son Lorenzo, makes him
Bouncing around
As I walked around the outskirts of Stockholm this week, I noticed tonnes of trampolines: it seemed like every other house had one in its backyard, or in front of the garage. Swedes take children’s play seriously, at least that is what emerged from the
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