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Original poster

To be freaked out by this? 3 year old's memory

153 replies

birdynumnums · 01/12/2011 23:31

7 months ago, we had to rehome our lovely dog because he was so mad he was knocking DS1 (3.5 year old) and and Ds2 over all the time and we were constantly having to lock him in the conservatory when the children were up. DS1 didn't have anything to do with the dog apart from waving at him through the glass for at least a year before he went. It was very upsetting but dog is in a lovely home now. At the time, he asked where Jacob the dog was but didn't seem overly upset by it.

Tonight, he woke up screaming, demanding to know where Jacob was. Then though fits of tears, he said 'Jacob is in grandad's car'. His grandad came to drive the dog to his new home 7 months ago. Ds1 has severe speech delay so it surprises me when he says many things let alone things that happened 7 months ago. Is this weird? Or do I just think it is because of his speech delay?

OP posts:
south345 · 02/12/2011 03:59

My 6 yo ds regularly wakes up crying about his hamster and if we pass the pet shop we got her from he cries too. She died 2 years ago and was 2 years old! I can remember visiting our great grandparents and can remember my mum and dad arguing in the car on the way there my dad was shocked as he said I was only a couple of months old but I could describe loads of things so it's obviously possible for children to remember things that happen at an early age.

CountingDown321 · 02/12/2011 04:32

This thread made me feel really Sad

coccyx · 02/12/2011 05:16

I hope when you decide to get another dog you don't pick on one that is well known to be intelligent and need a lot of stimulation and exercise, as you are too lazy to put the time in

coldwed · 02/12/2011 05:51

I'm also pretty appalled that you rehomed the dog. If the dog didn't like the baby, would you rehome the baby?I'm also pretty appalled that you rehomed the dog. If the dog didn't like the baby, would you rehome the baby?

Are you serious? what tosh! of course anyone with the right sense would put their child before a pet. What an idiotic question - 'would you re-home the baby?

Guess what? sometimes pets just do not work out. Trying to guilt trip people for no reason other than that you can, doesn't cut it.

OP, your child sounds wonderful.

lifechanger · 02/12/2011 06:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mummytime · 02/12/2011 06:20

I think the dog people should go away. You are mad!
Sometimes someone has a lovely Dog, who is fine until they have children, and then the dog and the family struggle. Because as anyone on Mumsnet should know having kids is a life changing experience, complete with exhaustion etc.
Would you rather a Dog was miserable and neglected, or rehomed somewhere nice?
Actually you sound as if you'd rather the kids were adopted instead.

BTW I have memories of where we used to live before I was 18 months ish old, and they were very very different from where I lived from then until I was 18 (Edwardian Houses with basements as opposed to between the wars housing). I remember, less clearly now than when I was little, the walk to the shops we used to take.

lifechanger · 02/12/2011 06:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Moominsarescary · 02/12/2011 06:51

Odd as a box of frogs, if a dog doesn't get on well with children or keeps knocking them over due to excitement should you just keep it until it hurts the child and maybe has to be put down.

We also had our dog rehomed early this year, I was inhospital during and after my pg and the dog was suddenly on it's own all day, which he didn't like at all, we also knew we might have problems with him and a younger child. I would have loved to have kept him but it would have been bloody selfish

WifiNappies · 02/12/2011 06:58

My brother, now 36, claims to remember being born. Lol.

NoJusticeJustUs · 02/12/2011 07:06

My dd is three, she asked recently what happened to our lovely white cat,

He died when she was seven months old !

LoveBeingFullOfChristmasCheet · 02/12/2011 07:07

Funny how dog pack can get their knickers in a twist over such a small amount of info and cone to tge conclusion that the op is a lazy irresponsible dog owner who shouldn't be allowed to have one again, wonder how many more of you will get thrown off mn for bullying before you learn.

mummytime · 02/12/2011 07:07

I have never been back to that part of London. I do remember my mother being astonished when I talked about it when I was about 4 ish. However as we left my father when I was about 18 months to 2 ish, it is probably linked to the truama of that, which I believe I read somewhere helps memories be retained. (Although I have no memories of my Father or apparently the time I saw someone get stabbed.)

LoveBeingFullOfChristmasCheet · 02/12/2011 07:10

Op my dd is 3.5 and cones out with stuff about her grandad who dies a year ago.

Now you know, can you think of any signs he's showed of missing him?

Chandon · 02/12/2011 07:18

...and we have the bonkers dog brigade in again, who think dogs are actually people Confused

Shangers · 02/12/2011 07:19

Wasn't there an study recently where they said that memories actually started much earlier than thought before so that a eg three year old could remember being a two year old but then they lost the earlier years as they got older so that's why we don't remember that young as adults. fascinating stuff - I totally wasn't expecting my 2 year old to remember things but he absolutely does.

found it: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13351681

JambalayaWarmMincePie · 02/12/2011 07:25

Obviously the dog lot have actually met the OP, know everything about her family situation and can fill in all the gaps she left out of her post.

How else would they know she was lazy and that re-homing her baby would be the far better option? Hmm

Avantia · 02/12/2011 07:26

My DS can't remember what they had for breakfast let alone 18 months ago Grin

kreechergotstuckupthechimney · 02/12/2011 07:27

Dogs are more important than people. Fact Hmm [bonkersconkers]
My DD has a phenomenal memory. Some of it though is Just Not True. She remembers our dog Pod with great clarity.
Pod died before she was born.
She does remember properly though, some of the stuff she recalls has me and DH looking at each other like this Shock.

Avantia · 02/12/2011 07:31

Not all of us doggy people are mad

Tenebrist · 02/12/2011 07:37

The barking pack are baying at the moon again. It bewilders me that people who so clearly prefer dogs to children would bother to hang out on a parenting website, unless it's simply to provoke. Sometimes rehoming is absolutely the right option.

To get back on track, I don't remember anything from before I was about 2.9, which would support the 'synapses being rebuilt at 2 and a half' idea.

ScroobiousPip · 02/12/2011 07:38

Yes, memory part normal. We emigrated when DS was 18mo. Had a passion for vacuum cleaners at that point, particularly the one in his grandparents' utility room. Returned for a visit when he was 2.9yo. The first thing he did was make a beeline for the vacuum cleaner (not obvious to access -through kitchen and out back). He remembered exactly where it was. I was Shock.

mummytime · 02/12/2011 07:39

This has been my first encounter with the notorious Dog people of Mnet. It has provided me with a new reason we can't have a dog for DD1 "because I would be too frightened to ever ask advice from the doggy people on mnet".

Angelswings · 02/12/2011 07:40

Be thankful dog friends that she found a new home for the dog, rather than go to the vet to say it had bitten her child, or taken it to a dog shelter

Back to point, I remember being in my pram in the doorway of my parents house that became my grandparents house.

mrsravelstein · 02/12/2011 07:46

agree with the others the memory thing is normal

also agree that you were right to rehome the dog. we recently had to rehome our cat as dd was severely allergic and covered in eczema (no we didn't consider getting rid of the baby even though we'd had the cat longer). the cat is bloody delighted at new home which doesn't have 3 kids in it, and from the updates/pix we get from her new owners is clearly far happier than she ever was with us. (i don't know if the dog people are bothered about cats though?)

jamdonut · 02/12/2011 07:47

That is a ridiculous statement...sorry. They seem to have given a great deal of thought to the dog, but in the end a child comes first.

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