[SheilaKathy]

What age were you in your oldest memory? In other words, how old were you in your first memory that you can recall? Just curious.

Here is an interesting article on memory:

https://www.brainhq.com/brain-resour...aphical-memory

[Teddy Bear]

I remember starting around the age of 5

[Skeezyks]

I'm not really sure. To a large extent, I think I was around 8 years old or so. I was an only child. And, growing up... oh so many years ago, my parents would tell me stories of things that happened with me when I was much younger. As a result, there are memories I have where I can't be sure if I actually remember them, or if I remember them because my parents told me about them later.

[Nammu]

Like skeezyks except I have a vivid hearing memory of crickets, the last thing I heard before I lost my hearing at age 3 1/2. I know from stories that we we up north on the farm when I got sick but the only memory I have of the farm itself is a red vinyl tube chair but that might be because it's in multiple pictures from that time.the photos are black and white but I remember them being red.

[Bklynite53]

Wow I'm 64 and lucky to have my parents still. I had this exact conversation with her yesterday because I can't remember anything younger than about 7. She told me as much as she could remember and it was all new to me. Nothing bad or good just stuff.

[winter loneliness]

I think 4.

[SheilaKathy]

Mine is of a time when I was 3. My father was having me sit in a chair that had a hole in it and I was mad and crying. He took a photo of me that way and I have the photo to this day. I remember that I was wearing a diaper and rubber pants over that (these were the days before disposable diapers). These do not show in the photo, as I am wearing a dress which covered them. The chair was a lawn chair, but was made of wood and was hard and uncomfortable. So that was why I was crying. I did not want to be in that chair, but was being forced to stay there for the photo.

[LittleButterflyx]

4 years old.

Because, I remember before my grandmother died and she died when I was four.

[-jimi-]

I only have a very few memories with some kind of story before I was one year old. The most memories from then were more like snapshots. I have storyline memories from about 2-3 years old and onwards.

I also took the quiz that was linked from that page, you have 15 words. They say it is normal to have a memory bump in your teens. My result:

0-10: 8 memories (5 being ages 2 to 7)
11-20: 3 memories
21-30 4 memories

I feel abnormal.

[lizardlady]

My earliest memories are from before I was 9 months old. I've been told that's not possible, but I have the memories. Been told that I'm just remembering stories told by my parents. Thing is that I can remember thoughts/feelings along with what happened.

[-jimi-]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

My earliest memories are from before I was 9 months old. I've been told that's not possible, but I have the memories. Been told that I'm just remembering stories told by my parents. Thing is that I can remember thoughts/feelings along with what happened.

People used to think you cannot remember anything before being 4. Now they had to admit that it is wrong. I remember a few things before I was verbal and according to my mom I spoke full sentences when I was about 10 months old. I do however think early language gives one more ability to remember things. So you can self reflect earlier. I think other early development can also help you remember early.

I actually start to lose memories now, I think I just have too many. It feels weird since I always remembered well. My memories are not machine like though, I have a huge issue remember when something happened, especially after i was around 20.

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by -jimi-

People used to think you cannot remember anything before being 4. Now they had to admit that it is wrong. I remember a few things before I was verbal and according to my mom I spoke full sentences when I was about 10 months old. I do however think early language gives one more ability to remember things. So you can self reflect earlier. I think other early development can also help you remember early.

I was told in grad school that we can not form memories until we have language. I thought horse hockey! My real early memories are more visual than word oriented.

++++
just reread what I wrote above and thought I might come across as arguing with you. Not arguing with you, just stating my reaction to profs who said I couldn't remember what I remembered.

[SheilaKathy]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

My earliest memories are from before I was 9 months old. I've been told that's not possible, but I have the memories. Been told that I'm just remembering stories told by my parents. Thing is that I can remember thoughts/feelings along with what happened.

You know, I had a memory that I was so uncertain of, which is why I asked. I was in my crib and I think I was maybe less than one year old. I have been told that is impossible too! I so hate that. No one knew about that memory of what happened. I was being molested, and my pedophile was sure to threaten me with death, should I reveal EVER what happened.

I just read up on PTSD symptoms this morning and found out that we often have delayed language! And all these years I thought it was my dyslexia that caused that, but it appears now that it was/ is the PTSD.

I am so glad that I started this post.

[SheilaKathy]

Thanks everyone for your answers. If you were told that is not possible, don't doubt yourself. We (some of us here) might just be living proof that it is!

I witnessed something happen when I was 14 months old that I don't remember but developed PTSD from. I had nightmares every time I saw my father after that. So it may not be a memory, but its in here somewhere.

My first memories are around 3 years old. Sadly most of my early memories are negative. My parents are both long gone, so there is much I will never know.

[seesaw]

I was thinking about this the other night because I was watching a documentary about certain different toys and how they came into popularity...And I was remembering one of my earliest memories was of playing with these toys.

My earliest memory is from about age 5. I have very limited memory of anything from when I was 18 and younger due to my PTSD. So much has been blocked out so I don't have to process it. But with various exercises I am able to remember more things.

The hardest part is the things that I do remember, my family denies or has rewritten the script calling me a liar. So according to them I don't remember anything. But that's not true. I know what I know.

Seesaw

[SheilaKathy]

Originally Posted by seesaw

I was thinking about this the other night...I know what I know.

Seesaw

Yes, Seesaw, we know what we know. My father did not deny it, instead he just looked me in the eye and said, "It is past the statute of limitation." (I was asking him if he knew what his father did to me). I had no clue that he would see that as some kind of legal threat! All I wanted to know was whether it might be true or not. Memory is such a tenuous thing sometimes.

My mother butted in and said to my father, "Dear, I think Sheila is trying to tell us something." He stopped glaring at me then and we never discussed it further. I knew they knew, they just did not want to talk about it.

[MRT6211]

My earliest memory is from age 3, but it isn’t exactly a happy one.

one week old i started forming hazy memories, at three months old my memories get much clearer.

[Loose Screw x 2]

I was 3 and it was the day I became self aware. A day that I wish I could return to but, that's never going to happen.

[Medusax]

I remember burning may hand on the hot pipe at 1 1/2. I don't remember the pain but I remember crying and having my father grab my hand... I have seen pictures of my hand in bandages, but don't remember them.

[winter loneliness]

Originally Posted by Medusax

I remember burning may hand on the hot pipe at 1 1/2. I don't remember the pain but I remember crying and having my father grab my hand... I have seen pictures of my hand in bandages, but don't remember them.

I have early pain/trauma memories too. I wasn't supervised very well. That just occurred to me. Wow.

Before the age of 6- dropping a big glass bottle on my foot and cutting it. Putting my finger in the light socket. Getting finger stuck in escalator, falling off float in pool, getting knocked over by ocean waves.

About 3 or 4 and it was traumatic.

my mother used to have a vinyl record player

one of the records she had was a song, do it to me one more time

not only is that my earliest memory, but it was the very first song I heard (or remember hearing)

I can't hear that song anymore- it is triggering

I was about 3 I think

[Marylin]

I remember being a baby about 3 months old and I was crying and my dad was shouting cos I was keeping him awake,mum says I had had an ear infection at the time.

I also remember being about 18 months gathered round the coffee table with mum ,dad and my sister,they made me a cup of tea and I had to drink it from the cup instead of my baby bottle cos they were making me stop using the bottle.I remember it like it was yesterday but it is 51 years ago now,wow!