What Is Your Earliest Childhood Memory?
By Alice Henry
@IreneVincent (15962)
United States
March 27, 2017 11:18am CST
I have a few memories from my early childhood, but I’m not sure which one is the earliest, because I don’t know how old I was when they happened.
Two very vivid memories happened on a trip to Akron, Ohio, when my family visited friends there. We went swimming in a river and a boy drowned that day.
My uncle was the one that finally pulled him up out of the water and brought him to the bank of the river. I remember the emergency vehicle coming with a siren blaring and I remember them using a machine of some sort to try to get the boy to breathe, but he died there.
On that same visit, I remember that a woman cut the head off of a chicken in the back yard and the chicken ran around the yard with no head for quite a while.
I am thinking that I was about four years old when these things happened, but I’m not sure.
I also remember a different trip, when we went to the funeral of my best friend’s father. I was so very sad for her and her family and I got sick and threw up.
All my early childhood memories seem to be related to traumatic events. I guess that is why I remember them. However, I DON’T remember another incident that my mother told me about.
A tornado ripped through the area where we lived in West Virginia and a friend of my family was a nurse and she was taking care of me that day. She was called to the scene where many dead and injured people were being brought and according to my mother, who was not happy about it, this nurse took me with her to see all those who were dead.
I’m glad that I don’t remember that. I can find out what year that was, because that tornado is definitely recorded history. I think I will research that right now.
What about you? Do you have any early childhood memories?
7 people like this
7 responses
@Nawsheen (28643)
• Mauritius
27 Mar 17
The worst memory that i have is went my elder cousin took us in the field. That day we walked for a very long time. And then when we decided to come back my cousin claimed that he forgot the way. We started trying different paths but couldn't find the right one. After nearly one and a half hour we met with a farmer and he took us back home. We had such a bad scolding
2 people like this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
27 Mar 17
I'm sure that was very traumatic! Being lost is a scary feeling.
1 person likes this
@Nawsheen (28643)
• Mauritius
27 Mar 17
@IreneVincent oh yes. And we were quite small at that time
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
@Nawsheen I remember, as a child, my younger brother and I used to walk up on a hill behind our house and then take a path to a quarry and come out on a place quite far from our house. There was also an abandoned reservoir that could have been a dangerous place for kids. We used to pick blackberries and huckleberries and bring them home to Mom and she would make cobblers.
We never got lost though, but we could have. We always knew how to get back home.
1 person likes this
@TheAmazingSquid (190)
• Camden, Indiana
27 Mar 17
There are only a few I can remember. I know I can remember staying with my oldest sister when I was atleast 5. My sister is quite a bit older than me, she was about I would say maybe 18-19 at this point and she had lived in an apartment with my niece(her daughter). She was like 1 or maybe a bit younger. I remember teaching her how to crawl up the stairs.
I also remember being excited when I was four because I had just turned four and the new apartment my family was moving into was number 4.
I remember watching Titanic when I was 6 over and over again with my old childhood friend Sarah in her basement. She had a projector and huge screen lol.
I also remember my brother chasing me with a large pointed stick that he made on Halloween when I was 6. He spray painted the end of it with red paint to make it look like blood. Chased me all around the apartment buildings.
I'd say thats my earliest.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Very interesting memories. It's wonderful that we have a brain that is designed to remember things, isn't it? Many older persons lose their memories unfortunately and some even mentally return to the days of their childhood.
It's enjoyable, for the most part, to be able to think back to those memories of our childhood, that is, if those memories are pleasant. But, sometimes, we have unpleasant memories that we WANT to forget.
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
29 Mar 17
@TheAmazingSquid How old are you? If I may ask. You could have major issues. What did your doctor say.
@TheAmazingSquid (190)
• Camden, Indiana
28 Mar 17
@IreneVincent I have bad memory issues. I can black out at times and just be going along like a zombie pretty much, within conversations and such and not remember a thing. I will have conversations about serious things with friends or family and not remember a thing. I won't remember what I was doing or anything. It's kind of like spacing out but the doctor told me different. I have a super bad memory and I think that is why I did so poorly in school.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (170307)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Yes, I remember walking with my parents in the city, and them swinging me between them when we stepped off the curbs. I also remember playing in the neighborhood when we lived in Erie, and we moved from there when I was 3. Also, getting my teeth cleaned and being in a wedding when I was 2 1/2
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (170307)
• United States
28 Mar 17
@IreneVincent They are early memories, but I remember Joan Lunden once said that her ex husband could remember being in his crib and things that happened to him as an infant. Supposedly very creative people can rmember early.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
29 Mar 17
@snowy22315 I guess some persons can remember things that happened really early in their childhood. I think some kids though stay in a "crib" until they are 3 or even 4. But, I can't imagine an "infant" remembering anything.
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Those are VERY early memories, especially the wedding when you were only 2 1/2. Wow! I don't think I remember anything at that age. My earliest memories were when I was maybe 4 years old.
1 person likes this
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32507)
• Calgary, Alberta
27 Mar 17
I can remember as early as age 3! I remember sleeping on a crib while my sister is abusing her bangles cassette's rewind button so she can play Eternal flame endlessly. I remember my nanny's name and some of the neighbors.
1 person likes this
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32507)
• Calgary, Alberta
28 Mar 17
@IreneVincent You know what is weird, it seemed like I remember more of my toddler years than my teenage years. I guess all the bullying and bad experiences made me want to block it out.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
29 Mar 17
@CaptAlbertWhisker I'm so sorry that you were bullied. It's something that happens a lot and I think more should be done about it in the schools.
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Early memories are usually small snippets that are rarely connected to anything else. Our mind is an amazing thing. It's one of the MAIN things that separates us from animals. We have the ability to remember and learn from the past and we have a conscience that animals don't possess.
@RasmaSandra (73642)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
27 Mar 17
I have quite a few childhood memories but things that I really would like to remember or picture in my mind I somehow cannot.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73642)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
28 Mar 17
@IreneVincent that is so true. Like I can tell you I always enjoyed my childhood Christmases and along with photos I can tell you how I felt and how great things were and what I thought about some presents but I cannot remember how mom and dad exchanged presents nor how we sat down to Christmas Eve dinner.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
29 Mar 17
@RasmaSandra Sometimes a photo will bring back a memory, something that you thought you had forgotten, but the photo brought it back to mind.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Memories are something that shows that we have an amazing brain, designed to think things out, to plan, to learn difficult math problems and to remember what we learn. We also have a conscience, that separates us from animals in an outstanding way.
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Yes, I'm glad I don't remember any of that.
1 person likes this
@FloridaGal (73)
• United States
27 Mar 17
I remember my mom yelling at me for "crying for no reason," and my dad picking my up and saying I could cry for nor reason it I wanted to. I remember feeling really high up when he lifted me and that always stayed with me.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
28 Mar 17
Your Dad sounds like a great Dad. My Dad was like that too.
