How Far Back Can Your Earliest Memories Go?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants sharing their earliest memories, exploring the age at which they can recall events from their childhood. The scope includes personal anecdotes and reflections on memory, with some participants discussing memories from as early as infancy and others noting a lack of recollection from their early years.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants report memories from as early as one year old, including specific events like sitting on a relative's lap.
  • Others mention vague recollections from ages two or three, with varying degrees of clarity and detail.
  • A few participants express uncertainty about the authenticity of their memories, suggesting they may be influenced by stories told by family members.
  • Some individuals share humorous or nostalgic memories related to significant life events, such as the arrival of a sibling or the first day of school.
  • There are mentions of sensory memories, such as smells and sounds, that are remembered but lack specific details.
  • Several participants reflect on the feeling of not remembering much from their early childhood, with some stating they have no memories from preschool days.
  • One participant recalls a distinct memory of a family event from when they were one and a half years old, highlighting how certain memories can be particularly vivid.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a variety of personal experiences regarding their earliest memories, with no consensus on the age at which memories begin or the reliability of those memories. Multiple competing views remain regarding the clarity and authenticity of early recollections.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the accuracy of their memories, indicating that their recollections may be influenced by external narratives. The discussion reflects a range of ages and experiences, with no established framework for the reliability of early memories.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring topics related to memory, childhood development, or personal anecdotes about early life experiences.

wolram
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I have realized i can not remember much beyond my 16th birthday, just a few bits and pieces, how far back can you mature PFers remember ?
 
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i remember myself in my moms womb.:biggrin:
 
gurkhawarhorse said:
i remember myself in my moms womb.:biggrin:

Here use this towel :biggrin:
 
I have some memries of when I was 2 or less!:zzz:
 
It seems that one of my earliest memories puts me at about age one. I have a vague memory of sitting on my great-grandmother's lap and looking up at her face. I have many memories of events from age three or so, and later.
 
Lisa! said:
I have some memries of when I was 2 or less!:zzz:

Well that's not so far back is it :confused: :biggrin:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
It seems that one of my earliest memories puts me at about age one. I have a vague memory of sitting on my great-grandmother's lap and looking up at her face. I have many memories of events from age three or so, and later.

That is amazing, i have no memories at all of my pre school days.
 
wolram said:
Here use this towel :biggrin:
no thanks. :biggrin: u will need to buy a new one if i use it :approve:
 
I remember being in my old old old house, I was 3 at the time(I think, maybe 2).
 
  • #10
I'm 23 (this month) and don't have a huge amount of memories before 14. I remember smells, sounds, places and people but I don't remember specifics like when a friend says "remember that time we did ...". I don't remember much interaction with people (it happened... I just don't remember hehe)

I very rarely think about the past.
 
  • #11
I am unsure. My parents often tell stories of when I was a young kid, but I am not sure if they are true, or if they have been told so many times that I believe them to be true.
 
  • #12
The earliest memory I can be sure of is from late 1984, and involves me, as a four year-old, sitting on Santa Claus' lap to tell him what I wanted for Christmas. I can find in my memory images and events from when I was younger than that, but they all seem to be mental images I formed based on stories that my parents told me rather than true memories.
 
  • #13
I was born in 86 and my brother was born in 90. I remember telling my parents to buy me a brother :biggrin:. I also remember my mom asking me if I really wanted a brother and that he will have to share everything with me. I remember sitting in the car with mom and dad when mom was pregnant and going to the hospital. I told her to just open her belly and take the baby out without going to a doctor :biggrin:. One funny thing I remember is the first day of school when I was so proud to be 5 years old...I was thinking wow I'm FIVE years old...I'm BIIIIG.
 
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  • #14
I remember a couple of things from when I was 2. Memories from then on are patchy and inconsistent right up to 20 seconds ago.
 
  • #15
Physics_wiz said:
I was born in 86 and my brother was born in 90. I remember telling my parents to buy me a brother :biggrin:. I also remember my mom asking me if I really wanted a brother and that he will have to share everything with me. I remember sitting in the car with mom and dad when mom was pregnant and going to the hospital. I told her to just open her belly and take the baby out without going to a doctor :biggrin:. One funny thing I remember is the first day of school when I was so proud to be 5 years old...I was thinking wow I'm FIVE years old...I'm BIIIIG.

If i were not a heartless B, i would have to say how cute :biggrin:
 
  • #16
matthyaouw said:
I remember a couple of things from when I was 2. Memories from then on are patchy and inconsistent right up to 20 seconds ago.

Who are you :confused: :confused: :confused: :smile:
 
  • #17
My first complete memory is of being in Tennessee during the winter when I was 3. My dad and older brother were playing in the snow, but I was too cold to move and just kept sinking in the snow. My dad wold come over every once in while and pull me out and set me back on top. And I'd start sinking again. It was the first and last time I ever saw snow too.
My earlier memories are little pieces of things; a certain blanket my mom says I had when I was 2 and such.

Oh, a funny/strange tidbit: I think I was around 6 or 7. I was watching TV and a phone number came up in an ad for one of those adjustable beds. For some reason, I wondered how long I could remember the number. So I tried to memorize it right away. It was 1-800-722-7337. :biggrin:
 
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  • #18
I have a lot of visual recollections. I'm just not sure which ones are memories and which ones are fabrications of my imagination.
 
  • #19
Physics_wiz said:
One funny thing I remember is the first day of school when I was so proud to be 5 years old...I was thinking wow I'm FIVE years old...I'm BIIIIG.
:smile: I remember thinking that when I turned ten. My dad told me I'm a decade old now. WOW... a DECADE! :biggrin:
 
  • #20
honestrosewater said:
My first complete memory is of being in Tennessee during the winter when I was 3. My dad and older brother were playing in the snow, but I was too cold to move and just kept sinking in the snow. My dad wold come over every once in while and pull me out and set me back on top. And I'd start sinking again. It was the first and last time I ever saw snow too.
My earlier memories are little pieces of things; a certain blanket my mom says I had when I was 2 and such.

Awww, every body now together, but were you homogenous and isotropic then
:rolleyes: :smile:
 
  • #21
Smurf said:
:smile: I remember thinking that when I turned ten. My dad told me I'm a decade old now. WOW... a DECADE! :biggrin:

Funny, I never felt like that. I'd always look up to the older kids and think what it must be like to be that big and old, and then get there and think "I still don't feel old. Damn, this is anticlimatic."
 
  • #22
matthyaouw said:
Funny, I never felt like that. I'd always look up to the older kids and think what it must be like to be that big and old, and then get there and think "I still don't feel old. Damn, this is anticlimatic."
Yeah... I remember that too. I still feel like that sometimes - us teenagers are still considered 'kids' by many, and they treat us that way too.
 
  • #23
honestrosewater said:
So I tried to memorize it right away. It was 1-800-722-7337. :biggrin:
are you sure? :biggrin:
 
  • #24
I'll just hope that my inability to feel old carries through well into middle age and late life. Could be quite useful :biggrin:
 
  • #25
I rang that number 1-800-722-7337. :blushing:
 
  • #26
i know bits & pieces about few events when i was 3 years old
 
  • #27
pathre said:
i know bits & pieces about few events when i was 3 years old

But how far back is that ?
 
  • #28
matthyaouw said:
I'll just hope that my inability to feel old carries through well into middle age and late life. Could be quite useful :biggrin:
I just hope other people's inability to consider me old carries through. Could prove quite useful with the ladies.
 
  • #29
I have a very distinct memory of my younger sister being brought home from the hospital right after she was born. The reason this memory probably stuck was because one of my older sisters was making such a big deal about the fact we had a new sister. Anyway I was 1 year and six months old at the time. It was the end of September, 1956.
 
  • #30
zoobyshoe said:
I have a very distinct memory of my younger sister being brought home from the hospital right after she was born. The reason this memory probably stuck was because one of my older sisters was making such a big deal about the fact we had a new sister. Anyway I was 1 year and six months old at the time. It was the end of September, 1956.

Wow zoobie, yours is the best so far, or was Ivans :confused:
 

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