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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
Reading time
(Featured photo: Andrea Spinelli Barrile) “Are you reading to him?” This was the question that my son’s paediatrician asked when I last called. I wanted to make sure that I would not miss any important check-ups or vaccinations since we are going to be in
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
Forever in the archive:
Why can’t we remember our earliest years?
When it comes to remembering our childhood, scientific research still leaves us with more questions than answers.
Laughter in the children’s hospital
Hello from Sweden, where autumn is already turning the leaves red and the rose hips are getting ripe! One of the hardest things about writing about the first 1,000 days is that childhood looks so different around the world, and there are few commonalities across
Callout: Share your earliest memories with me
In the first series on my beat, the First 1,000 Days, I will be digging into memory-making. You can help me by telling me what you remember and why. Memory of the first 1,000 days depends on other people. In our own lives, we rely
Eat, play, love: Just how much are you shaped by your first 1,000 days of life?
Neuroscience has identified this period – from conception, through nine months of pregnancy, plus two years – as critical for brain development, but it also matters in so many other ways.
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