Your Earliest Childhood Memories?

[NW-Bound]

As I lamented in a recent post about how a decade seems to pass by faster and faster as I age, I thought of my childhood memories.

I do not remember the names of my high school teachers, leave alone those in elementary schools. Ditto for my classmates. However, I do retain fragmented memories of my childhood. I would remember a scene, but in order to put a time stamp on it, I would need to relate it to an event.

I think the earliest memory I have is being taken by my father to a hospital maternity suite to see my mother and my newborn brother. As he is 4 years younger than I am, that unequivocally fixes my earliest lucid memory.

How about you?

 

[mews]

I have 'a memory of a memory' of being carried up the back stairs in 'the old house'.

It wasn't one of my parents, so it was one of my (much older) brothers.

It is mostly tactile, so I think it is real.

We moved when I was 2 yrs and 4 months old.

I can remember ( in the new house) sitting on a couch and being very pleased with how my feet came exactly to the end of the seat.

There are a few other really early flashes of memory, but nothing solid until 4 or 5.

Teachers? Other kids? didn't like most of them, didn't remember most of them.

ta,
mew

 

[Orchidflower]

Same here about the teachers and kids. Flashes of stuff.

Your earliest memory I heard in some psych. class years ago is supposedly a good indication of your future life or philosophy. For instance, Marilyn Monroe's earliest memory was swinging on some swings with little boys standing around, and she had no panties on. My earliest memory wasn't that exciting--ha!

 

[Meadbh]

I remember being taken for walks in the neighbourhood in a pram (perambulator) just like this one:

Image - V&A Museum of Childhood

I must have been a baby at the time. I remember falling down the (curved) staircase, which led to a fear of heights; I remember refusing to let my Mom wash the shampoo out of my hair (who know a two year old could be so manipulative!) I remember falling off a chair at age 3 or so, going to the hospital, and having a skull Xray.

I'm curious: does anyone remember being born? Or life inside the uterus?

 

[KB]

I remember being in the hospital in a net covered crib that was low enough that I couldn't stand up without the net hitting my head. I had my tonsils out and was less than 2 years old, not sure exactly how old though.

Apparently my sister was in the crib near me but I don't remember her being there. I guess the doctor thought it was easier to have both kids done at once. Oh, and out parents didn't stay with us at the hospital. They didn't do that back then (or at least my parents didn't).

 

[bbbamI]

My earliest childhood memory is when I was almost 4 years old. I got mad at my mom and dad, so I decided to run away. I 'ran away' by getting a cup of water and flouncing off to my bedroom. The cup was plastic and a light pink color. It seems so strange to remember that cup.....

 

[Poundkey]

Being at an A&M bonfire and being in the stands with my dad at Kyle field. I think I would have been around three years old.

 

[Orchidflower]

By the way, lack of childhood memories indicated trauma usually in the person's life (death, divorce, abandonment, etc.). FYI. Doesn't mean anything is wrong with you--just that you experienced some trauma during that period of your life.

 

[kumquat]

I'm curious: does anyone remember being born? Or life inside the uterus?

In my earliest memory everything was red and I was very cold.

Sorry, my earliest memory is walking around the San Diego zoo. Apparently, I was 3. My brother copied some old home movies to VHS tape and we were watching them one Xmas. The zoo was shown. DS and I started talking about parts of the zoo not pictured. DM said "you can't possibly remember that, you were 4 and 3".

 

[aaronc879]

It seems everyone has earlier memories than I have. I have a foggy memory of what I think is kindergarten class so I would've been 5. I have no other memories except school related memories in 2nd grade or later.

 

[aaronc879]

By the way, lack of childhood memories indicated trauma usually in the person's life (death, divorce, abandonment, etc.). FYI. Doesn't mean anything is wrong with you--just that you experienced some trauma during that period of your life.

No trauma that I remember. But then I guess I wouldn't remember it would I.

 

[W2R]

I remember being taken for walks in the neighbourhood in a pram (perambulator) just like this one:

Image - V&A Museum of Childhood

I must have been a baby at the time. I remember falling down the (curved) staircase, which led to a fear of heights; I remember refusing to let my Mom wash the shampoo out of my hair (who know a two year old could be so manipulative!) I remember falling off a chair at age 3 or so, going to the hospital, and having a skull Xray.

I'm curious: does anyone remember being born? Or life inside the uterus?

Nope. But like you, I have very early memories of when I was a toddler and even when I was a baby. I don't know why. I had an utterly miserable, wretched life as a baby, child, and teen in comparison with the rest of my life, and I don't think about my early memories much.

 

[bbbamI]

I'm curious: does anyone remember being born? Or life inside the uterus?

At one point, I thought I could. Then I realized it was because mom told me about my birth on many occasions. Methinks she was trying to make me feel guilty....

It would be cool to be able to remember the first fanny slap though...

 

[bbbamI]

This thread made me take a peek at the few pics I have when I was a child. I ran across this one...seems like I remember sucking my pacifier that day....

 

[freebird5825]

I've got a little of the memory recall of a savant in me bones. I have an exact visual image associated with each piece of data.

Teachers...kindergarten and elementary school...yes I do remember.
Mrs. Bischoff (K), Sister Scholastica, Miss McQuade, 3rd grade a name blank but have the face OK, Mrs. Weigand, Mrs Weigand again, Mrs. Connelly, Sister Mary Ellen, Miss Donovan.
Best childhood friends: Shelley McRae, Teresa Cannas, Sheila McLaughlin, Kathy Schindel, Carol Burns.

Earliest childhood memories...I grew up just north of NYC and was exposed to a lot of media events and culture as a child.
Kennedy's assassination and funeral procession, 1963, age 5.
The Unisphere and the Pieta scuplture (Michelangelo) showcased at the NY World's Fair, 1964, age 6.
http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/1964_New_York_World%27s_Fair
Radio City Music Hall, The Rockettes Christmas Pageant, several childhood years.
First international trip to Canada, Montreal Expo 67, age 9.

There are more but these events came out foremost from the total recall data bank.

 

[bssc]

Visiting Borobudur and trying to touch a Buddha in the stupa. The good thing about moving around is that I know we were in Indonesia when I was 2 and 3.

DW on the other hand lost her dad at 8 and does not remember anything before then.

 

[Moemg]

I also remember being in a stroller and going to Dr. Miller . I was about three . I have many happy memories of Christmas as a child . I remember clearly when my sister told me there was no Santa Claus . I was crushed . I also remember most of my grade school teachers and my classmates but it was a tiny school.

 

[DangerMouse]

I have some memories going back to about 4 years old. One of my strongest memories is of the night that Robert Kennedy was assassinated. I was only 6 at the time, but the reason I remember it was because my grandmother was in hospital. I remember going to visit her then waiting in the car with my father and the news on the radio was about the assassination. My grandmother was supposed to come home within the next few days but had a heart attack and died the next day.

 

[Goonie]

I remember the day we moved into the old family homestead, after my Grandad moved into his new house next door. I remember we drove in the driveway in my Dad's ugly tan Buick (didn't know it was a Buick at the time...but knew it was ugly tan!). I was sitting in the middle of the front seat (with NO seat belt on ), and my Mom was holding the silverware tray thing (that goes in the kitchen drawer) on her lap. I also remember the old off-white metal venetian blinds laying in the front room waiting to be carried out to the trash.

We moved in here in the Summer of '58.....I was born in the Spring of '57!

And except for that ugly color Buick, I remember every car (make, model, year) that my folks owned

I also remember my 3rd birthday....and the cake with the 3 candles on it...white frosting with blue decorations (blue was/is my favorite color), and I remember my 'big' present too....it was a blue (what else?) plastic cargo plane with propellers that turned, and that the front nose hinged up so I could stuff other small toys inside it....fuselage was about 2" diameter, and the plane was about 12"-14" long....it was cooool!

I also remember all of my grade school, jr. high, and HS teachers....as well as most of the kids from grade school and jr. high. I remember about half of the kids in my HS graduating class, and probably an equal number from other classes that were there when I was (probably a total of around 450+/-). Then there's the one that seems totally weird that I'd remember......I remember my HS locker number AND the combination.....#A730.....10-32-10, it was the middle locker out of 9 at the end of the hall across from Room 701!

I also remember most of the people (names & faces) of all of the churches (about 12) that I've been a part of over the last 40+ years.

Although I remember a lot of stuff, I don't remember the combination of the electronic lock on the front door of my old office, that I had to punch in dozens of times everyday for years.....and I don't remember the number of the locker that had there for 30+ years!!! Selective Memory Loss?? I dunno!

 

[Dreamer]

By the way, lack of childhood memories indicated trauma usually in the person's life (death, divorce, abandonment, etc.). FYI. Doesn't mean anything is wrong with you--just that you experienced some trauma during that period of your life.

This must be the reason that I don't remember very much at all and what I do remember is not very pleasant. I can not remember one birthday until I was an adult. There were 5 children in our family and I can't remember 1 of their birthdays either.

 

[CuppaJoe]

First memory was about age 3-1/2, very meaningful and revised over the years. Also remember being in a crib-style bed with sidebars, put to bed when it was still light.

Age 5, I hated Kindergarten nap time, watched the teacher pace around, and could still pick her shoes out of a lineup, they were way out of style even then, looked like this, only less pretty and all black, no alligator patterns for her.

 

[old woman]

I was in my first year of kindergarten. I must have been 4 my little brother went 3 years starting at 3. We all went because our older brother was 5 and mom was teaching.

I remember my best friend's grandmother had a tv and I saw it, I had never seen one before and was impressed, she must have been rich. I remember little from that time, learning to ride a bike and the swing set dad built us. My brother broke my cheek with the monkey bar. I remember the doctor putting his fingers in my mouth and how much it hurt, but I didn't cry. I remember twin beds in my brothers' room mom would force us to take naps. We had to lay still and not talk or we were punished she stood between the beds until we were asleep.

I remember my mom almost dying on Halloween she swallowed a jaw breaker. Dad was out to town and us kids were still young. She ran out in the yard and my best friend's mom came over and pound on her until she could breathe. After that if we got jaw breakers she would put them in a towel and hit them with a hammer before we could have them.

I can't remember anything before I was 4.

 

[bruce1]

Same here about the teachers and kids. Flashes of stuff.

Your earliest memory I heard in some psych. class years ago is supposedly a good indication of your future life or philosophy. For instance, Marilyn Monroe's earliest memory was swinging on some swings with little boys standing around, and she had no panties on. My earliest memory wasn't that exciting--ha!

Oh great My first memory is of a hurricane when I was one. I remember roosters chasing me when I was two or three and a dog that died when I was three. I was in England when I was five and remember my cousins three wheeled car and my Aunts Holly bush beside the back door and several other things. Just realized I also remember all my grade school teachers.

 

[donheff]

I have a few fragmentary memories before kindergarten and remember my first day at kindergarten because I was late and went to the wrong room and had to switch an hour later (there were two classes in my school). I actually remember more teachers from elementary school than high school.

 

[REWahoo]

My earliest memories are also linked to kindergarten, actually to pre-kindergarten. I remember a lot of fuss when I blew the whistle to my buds that the Santa who showed up at our school Christmas party was actually Buddy Fink, the old guy who lived across the street from me.