Anyone else struggle to remember their childhood?

[Comps83]

Quite often at work people who are 20 or 30 years older than me talk about minute details of their childhood
I really struggle to remember any of it!
Anyone else feel like this ?

Trauma can block memories, or high alcohol consumption.

I'm like this!! I have never drunk a lot of alcohol, I had no traumatic events in my life. I barely remember stuff from my childhood and the early part of my marriage about 20 years ago. I just think some people's brains don't have enough space for all the memories and focus on storing more practical things.

I’m like this it makes me sad that I don’t remember so much of my life.

It makes me sad too . Makes me sad as my mother started drinking when I was about 12/13 and wish I could remember what it was like before she did
Someone asked me before her funeral to remember happy things to add to a reading for the service . But I couldn't remember anything

I remember most of my life. Obviously boring or monotonous things would need a memory jog with photos or reminiscences with others. They are usually just a sense of time passing.
I can remember things from about the age of 18mo. As I remember snippets of my baby sister in a pram etc.
Some of my memory of my childrens early childhood are a blur, but photos jog my memory.

I’m the opposite, I can vividly remember my childhood, right down to the tiny details, but I can hardly remember anything from my adult years. I had a small panic the other day when I realised I could still name every single one of my primary school teachers, but can only name about half of my DD’s, and she’s only in y7. All I can say is memory is a funny thing.

I'm the opposite I can take myself back to any part of my childhood instantly and can almost relive it, the smells sounds, feelings. The downside is I find it hard to let some stuff go as it doesn't feel like it is in my past but as if it is all just in my present.

I watched an old documentary a few days ago where this 94 yr old woman was talking about her Victorian childhood . Remembering everything even down to the clothes she wore . That's what made me think again about my lack of memories

I’m the same as you and I hate it.
I had trauma at age 4 which was never acknowledged or talked about and affected me throughout my life. At the age of 54 I decided to get counselling and it has helped enormously to come to terms with it all. I’d highly recommend it.

I can remember very little.

Key events, key memories

I wonder if they are still there, but can't be recalled. Memory is a fascinating biochemical thing.

i don't remember much. I wonder if it was because my mum was ill a lot (brain tumour) so maybe I have just blanked a lot out. its odd as some stuff really stands out, but then I try to remember ordinary stuff and zilch. maybe its connected as I remember so much from after she died.
at least I remember that I had a loving family, so thats something.

At the age of 60, my childhood has started coming back. My very earliest memory is of walking under the dinner table with a full nappy, and being caught and changed by DGM. I think it's a combination of age, and cues from DGS who is as lunatic as I was. However, these days we don't have loose razor blades or loose electric cables, thank god.

I'm in my sixties and had a perfectly normal childhood, but very few proper memories of it. I reassure myself that it's a good sign, as relatives with dementia seem to remember in great detail!

I was thinking about this yesterday. I have vague memories and remember a few specific details but not a lot. I also wonder how much we warp our memories from our own perspectives. One of my brother's is a PITA and his memories of childhood are not at all the same as mine. He doesn't remember my parents spending time with him, for example, whereas he was a great footballer and week in week my dad took him to play and watch football and became an assistant coach etc. He remembers us eating 'crap' all the time which is the polar opposite to my own memories of food as a child.

I was wondering about it because my eldest DC is now 4 and at the age where they should begin to retain long term memories into adulthood. He seems to have an incredibly memory, but they all do at this age.

DH remembers almost nothing about his childhood. He is incredibly clever and has a mega high-powered job but doesn't really remember anything. I think that's how he manages it tbh, he keeps things in his short term memory only.

The worst time for retaining memories for me is having a newborn. It must be the lack of sleep but the first year of each of my DCs lives has completely gone.

I have no memories and no trauma, I just don't seem to retain much. My memories start in early teens but there's few of those.
I don't remember my nieces as babies, they're 5+6 it makes me so sad I just don't seem to have this capacity.
My DH doesn't mind too much as he can repeat stories that I was present for and I listen like I'm a new audience.

Yes. There is quite a lot of it I don't remember. I remember odd things but nowhere near as much as friends and family!

Like a few others, I remember childhood very vividly indeed; I too feel that it is the present, and find it hard to let go of things.

My mum died recently and sadly in the last 8 years of her life she had Alzheimer's. I cared for her for a number of years and that experience seemed to wipe out many of my childhood memories - there was a kind of role reversal which made me forget about who she was before she needed so much help. However, the experience of sorting through her belongings in her house has brought back some very vivid memories - reaching into a wardrobe I was suddenly transported back to being 7 years old and hiding amongst mums clothes from my siblings. Other memories have started to filter through now and I am so grateful to be getting my lovely mum back again, happy memories are coming to life for me despite the sadness of her passing and the heartbreak of losing her so many years before to Alzheimer's.

I remember very little of my life. I have no trauma to block, but my life is mostly a blank. I find it really sad and it makes me wonder what is wrong with me.

I remember very little of my childhood. That’s trauma related though.

I did find this interesting reading though

sdamstudy.weebly.com/what-is-sdam.html

Have a look into SDAM. Severely deficiency autobiographical memory ( I think). Often related to Aphantasia.
I have both. It upsets me quite a bit.

I remember very little. I'm having therapy and mostly sit there going 'um... I don't remember'. I think it is in there somewhere though. Small things come back as I get older which gives me hope.

I can hardly remember a thing. It’s frustrating at times.

Nope not just you. Frustrates my family no end when they reminisce and I don't know what they're on about. No trauma either, and I was never a big drinker (don't drink at all now)