Anyone else have very few memories?

[BabyBoyBeautiful]

I really struggle to remember anything concrete up until I was about 18.
Everything after 18 is there and I have no memory issues now but anything from my childhood is hazy at best (except for the bullying in high-school, I remember that quite clearly!).
Is anyone else the same? It baffles me when my 57 year old colleague can remember going to a friends party when they were 6 and can even remember the dress they wore!

I don't have many memories of my past life.
But that's due to a head injury a few years ago and a also a deliberate attempt to try and forget. Unfortunately I can't forget some of the stuff I'd rather not remember.
I assume getting older also plays a part.

I'm also amazed about the amount some people can remember about their childhood. But I assume if people still mix with childhood friends and reminisce about things with them and with their families then the memories have been kept alive and vivid ever since the events happened.

It is not that uncommon. Apparently often the extremes of abuse or happiness.

I don't think mine is either, or mine is just normal happiness.
I was very content, from a very loving family and parents, I can't remember much. And that which I can I think it's stuff I've been told, or photos, rather than things I actually remember about growing up with my 2 older brothers.

Can you picture things?
I only realised about 5 years ago that I have aphantasia, the inability to see images in "the mind's eye". Before I thought everyone else was speaking metaphorically when they said they could visualise things
People with aphantasia tend to have very few childhood memories because early memories are very visual.

I can remember facts, I know what pets looked liked and their names and I can remember photos of things I did but I can't picture or remember the actual memory if that makes sense? I also have very little visual memory/ can't picture things in my minds and very poor face recognition.

@AltitudeCheck does your poor face recognition work for you ?
Even including the people who are, and have always been close to me, faces are blanks if I think about them
But I'm very good at recognising people by their clothes - I can remember them - and their mannerisms and their voices. I'm extremely good at recognising people by their voices.

@WxyzWxyz I find it really difficult, it's definitely held me back at work for example when I don't recognise people so am slow to embed into a new team or build networks. Moving from virtual working back to F2F was awful, misidentifying people I had worked with for over a year!

I can 'teach' myself names so for example I joined a small running club and I know tall/dark hair lady = Mary, man with iron-man tattoo = Jeff but it then becomes embarrassing if I see them out of context, for example if they said hello in the supermarket and weren't in running gear I wouldn't recognise them until their voice or something they said prompted me to recall where I knew them from.

I can't 'picture' anyone's face in my mind, not even my own! I sometimes don't recognise myself in photos (unless I remember photo being taken or can work it out from the clothes / event). I rely on remembering facts about people's hair/ clothes rather than being able to know their faces, fancy dress parties, posh events etc where people look very different to 'normal'are very stressful!

@AltitudeCheck Yes I can identify with what you describe!

It does make life more difficult doesn't it?