What is your earliest memory? (page 2)

Frannie Banannie

I was standing in my crib bouncing up and down and singin' "The Dickie Bird Song", tryin' to con my Mama out of makin' me take a nap.

Frannie B

FlyingHighNow

I still remember that net over the bed and the frustration it wrought as I tried to escape...... I also remember the oversized hedge clippers that the barber used on me during my first haircut

That is absolutely precious, Mac. My grandson Mickey is three and he would escape if he was in the hospital, too. You sound a lot like him. I talked to him last night on the phone. Soooo cute.

Mac

Precious my ass....it was damned scary, I tell ya!!!!!!!

mac

FlyingHighNow

Precious my ass

YOU were precious. Children are magical.

FlyingHighNow

Can't argue that!!!

That's right. Now pick up your PM, please.

Dawn

I remember being in a crib and crying because a noise scared me. My mom came in, picked me up and made me feel better.

(((Stinkypants))) I know how you feel. I have a lot of bad memories from child hood - and some repressed ones. I went to counseling for some time and the counselor wanted to extract those memories. It made me feel worse - concentrating on those awful times. I finally decided (and told the counselor) that if I had repressed them it was for good reason. I believe that our memories are like a "memory bank" - mine did have a lot of bad stuff, but over the past 14 years I have been filling it with good deposits, wonderful memories. My wedding day, the birth of my kids, their sports games and practices, holidays, birthdays, vacations, trips to the park, etc. I have finally reached that part in my life when the good memories outweigh the bad. Not that bad things don't still happen - I lost my father to a sudden heart attack and my brother was murdered. But - I counteract that by making a point to do fun things with my family, and friends. I now have a whole bank full of great memories to dwell on, and I rarely think about my childhood or the bad things that have happened since.

You'll get to that point Stinky - I know you will.

Leolaia

This is a tricky question to answer for me.

I would say that my earliest memory is of the San Fernando Valley earthquake in 1971, which occurred when I was 7 months old. In this memory, I watched through the crib bars as the floor boards were rattling, and the crib rolled around on the floor. This much of my memory I am sure is genuine. The thing is, tho, my memory isn't of the event itself but of recurring nightmares I had from the trauma of the event that I had until I was 7 or 8 years old. Thus, over the passage of time, my nightmares distorted the memory and added things which I'm sure did not really happen. Thus, I also remember trying to grab onto the drapes by the window and climbing onto the drapes. This didn't happen, and what I really recall is the dream I had when I was 7. I actually remember three different versions of this dream. But surely, there is a kernal of memory of the actual event.

Aside from that, the earliest memory I have that I am totally sure is a real memory is Christmas when I was three years old. This is a very vivid memory, and quite genuine because my first person perspective and experience is very different from that recalled by my parents and reflects my own emotion during the event that was not understood or comprehended by my parents. I have several other memories from when I was three, and then scores and scores from when I was 4 and 5.

Last year I went back to Atlanta where I lived until I was 6 -- hadn't been there since, and it was totally amazing going back to my old house and neighborhood, my kindergarten, and the other school where I had first grade, and witness all these things I remember exactly but hadn't seen in over 25 years.

MerryMagdalene

I'm not sure how old I was...somewhere in between baby and toddler...but my stongest memory is the wonderful feel of being cradled in my Grandad's arms and the smell of his sweat-stained hat which he would put on me when he got home from work. It would cover my head and face completely and I could see light through the grommet holes. I felt totally safe and loved and all was right with the world.

Like someone mentioned in an earlier post, I remember how I thought pre-verbally. Whenever I am able to summon up that state of mind now I absolutely love it, but it has become increasingly harder to do through the years. I suppose it might be much like the state people who meditate seek to reach. I'm not sure. I'm glad to know someone else has a memory of such a thing.

What is your earliest memory?

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