# The First 1,000 Days A newsletter on the crucial period in which our brains and social connections are built and how they shape our future. Essays, reportages and journalistic thoughts on how we think about the youngest children and their caregivers. Page: Feed: --- ## [The power of stories](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/the-power-of-stories) _2024-12-21 · Irene Caselli_ Telling stories can transform people — both those whose stories are told and those who are telling the stories — for better or for worse. ## [The (very recent) birth of child protection](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/the-very-recent-birth-of-child-protection) _2024-12-13 · Irene Caselli_ And why some agencies are not actually focused on children's wellbeing. ## [Populism meets parenting](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/populism-meets-parenting) _2024-11-28 · Irene Caselli_ Why we should all know how our political leaders were brought up. ## [Lessons from a ‘no-go’ neighbourhood](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/lessons-from-a-no-go-neighbourhood) _2024-11-14 · Irene Caselli_ What I learned from a new playground in Bulgaria. ## [A surrogacy ban is not feminist](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/a-surrogacy-ban-is-not-feminist) _2024-10-31 · Irene Caselli_ The Italian parliament made it illegal earlier this month for people to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy. ## [Abuse affects millions of children. I was one of them](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/abuse-affects-millions-of-children-i-was-one-of-them) _2024-10-17 · Irene Caselli_ \*\*This article contains discussions of childhood abuse, including sexual violence, that may be distressing for some readers. ## [What language does your inner child speak?](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/what-language-does-your-inner-child-speak) _2024-09-20 · Irene Caselli_ “Sí.” Your inner child speaks Italian, said my therapist, and I burst into tears. ## [A very modern 70s cartoon](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/a-very-modern-70s-cartoon) _2024-09-04 · Irene Caselli_ When I was little, my mom used to call me Mafalda, after a popular comic strip. ## [Motherhood and medals](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/motherhood-and-medals) _2024-08-21 · Irene Caselli_ I grew up in a family where sport was not actively promoted. ## [100,000 Bonus Points Await You (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/Jm8sS7t1oNrM) _2024-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months. ## [What to do with kids in the summer?](https://irenecaselli.substack.com/p/what-to-do-with-kids-in-the-summer) _2024-08-08 · Irene Caselli_ There is a poem that has always stayed with me.