Do you remember being a child?

[Eatyourbanana]

I have absolutely no memories until the age of about 9 or 10. Even memories I have of that age are few and far between.

My nan always tells me stories of ‘when I was 3 my mum blah blah...’ she thinks there’s something wrong with me I don’t remember anything?!

YABU - I have memories from a young age 3,4,5...

YANBU - I cant remember much, if anything from childhood.

Not really an AIBU, but generally intrigued.

I can remember being 2 vaguely and being 3 vividly

I have very clear memories of my grandfather and spending time with him. He died when I was 3.

I recall a great deal from age 3 onwards. An overnight sleeper train journey with my mum with flip down beds and a flip down sink in the room! Also age 3 and being potty trained, and having an accident in my new 'big girls' pants! My nursery complete with sleep time on little camper beds, the unisex toilets and the Christmas nativity where I was a sheep!

An ear operation age 4. I recall the colour of the mask and which hand they cannulated me in (parents werent in the operating room so wouldn't know these details), I recall waking up in the childrens ward and there was only 1 TV on the wall and all the other kids were older than me.

My DH has no memories prior to about age 10 which I find bizzare. He had a troubled childhood, family divorce, then a re-marriage with other children, so I do think he has blocked a great deal out as a coping mechanism.

I think the vast majority remember their primary years, if not much earlier, and those that don't, might have had a trauma.

Sorry, when I was 2.

I can remember being in my cot, so I would have been a toddler. It’s my only memory from that age but I can remember quite a bit from 3 or 4 onwards.

We visited an uncle recently who we hadn’t seen in over a year. My 3 year old asked where his fish were, I couldn’t believe she remembered he had fish. She’s come out with others things as well where I’ve though ‘wow you have a good memory.’ But maybe they retain these memories during childhood then some lose them & some keep them.

I remember the view looking out from my pram .. it was a big 1970s thing but I must have been under 2.
I remember the frill around the edge and a toy thing that was on elastic across in front of me.
It was a really sunny day
After that I remember playgroup age 3 or 4.

I have a few very clear memories of my maternal grandparents. I was just 2 when grandad died. I can remember the day i was with my mum and we went to grandma's and she had died in her sleep. I was 3.

Can remember playgroup when i was 3 ans starting school at 4.

I remember vividly pre my sibling's birth. I was under 3 then. I clearly remember the layout of my nursery (left aged 3.5) and old house (moved age 5). I drew the layout of our old house out last year with my parents watching as I described each room in detail. Weirded them out seeing what I remember. My siblings, however, have zero recollection of anything in such bizarre detail and find me weird

I can definitely remember things from when I was around 2 or 3. My sister and my son have memories from when they were 2 as well. Interestingly though I don’t have any memories of my parents physically near each other as a child. They divorced when I was 6. Funny how our minds work!

Interesting thought. @Elouera.

Those who DO remember, would you consider your upbringing a happy stable one?

I remember 'flashes', like short clips, of important events (birth of a cousin) or meaningless things, like my older catching spiders and pulling their legs out one by one. Probably from the age of 4. I remember getting a pet cat. And silly things like my sister having a go at me because I weed in the bath. I remember the fire alarm going off at night in our flat. But they are not 'linear' memories, they are just short flashes of images and sounds.

I can remember very little & what I can is just pictures. So I try and remember primary school and I'll get 2 or 3 mental pictures but don't remember things happening. I'm in 30s and it's now the same when I try to remember my twenties.

From 7 I can remember a lot. Clear memories with lots of details.

My memories seem to start at 2. Just v short flashes of memory. I remember wanting my bottle of milk, for example, but mum was weaning me off and I could only have a cup of milk or some plain water in the bottle. I chose water and was upset when it wasn't milk. I can also remember being on holiday my dad buying Sugar Puffs as a treat and trying them for the first time (about 2.5y).

I have some really nice memories of the first couple of years of school too, little things that happened with friends, a fancy dress 4th birthday party that sort of thing.

I have a couple of memories from age 2 when my brother was born, and lots from 3 onwards.

I think there's some research that shows people tend to start to form clear memories from about 3, although I imagine there's wide variation due to environmental and other factors.

Vividly. My first memories are from the place we lived the year I turned 3. We moved away when I was 3 and a half, so I can date those memories precisely. I remember my childhood after that very clearly as well. It may help that we moved around a lot in my early years, including overseas. So I had frequent new impressions that may have been more memorable than a more settled existence might have been.

OP, yes I had a happy, stable upbringing and remember lots in detail, including the minor bad things, like ‘mean’ extended family member.

I was in a DV relationship later on and I have massive memory loss of that period. I am scrapbooking and doing IFS therapy to try and recover those memories, as I want the memories of my kids’ childhoods back.

I have very vague memories of being 2 or 3 and quite a clear memory of coming downstairs on my 4th birthday. Really clear memories of being 7 onwards.
DH on the other hand can remember very little about his childhood. He went to Boarding school and hated it. I think he’s blocked a lot out.

I have clear memories from age 3. I was very surprised when my cousin said he had no memory of my grandmother who he lived with until she died when he was seven years old. I am glad I can remember my childhood clearly.

I have no memory's till about 12ish. Even those memory's are only prompted by photos or other people. I have a shocking memory though as I'm 31 and struggle to even remember my 20s or what I done yesterday

I wonder if this is linked to aphantasia?

My earliest memory is from about 18mths when I dropped my doll in a pond and my big brother rescued her. I thought the pond was huge but I went back as an adult and it was tiny!

After that it's flashes of things - falling over at a car boot sale, the injustice of being told my answer to a question at nursery was wrong when it wasn't, playing with my brother and clearer memories start at about 6. I think, anyway. Some memories I can't put an age to.

My childhood was a very happy and stable one!

my first memory was at 2.4 of my sister being born then it's patchy until about 10ish

DP remembers everything! We went to high school together and remembers everyone we ever met personally I would have sworn I had never met them.

I don't remember much from before my 20s. I have little very sporadic memories. I'm only 30. I suspect it is a form of self defence, not enough happy memories to be worthwhile remembering

IME certainly differs from
Perso. To person. I have a few think my youngest about 4ish? I have had someone seriously argue with me that they remember being born, so there’s always that...

I have a few 'flash' memories from age 2-5 and clearer more consistent memories after that.

Some things are events that are talked over afterwards in the family (e.g. birth of sibling when I was 2) but others are things that no one else remembers (staring out of the window on a rainy day & wanting to go out).

But I also have false memories - I 'remember' an event that was often discussed in the family that took place when I was 3. but I remember it in the house we moved to when I was 4, so I know this must be a false memory.

Maybe those with disrupted / unhappy childhoods don't talk over their early memories as much with the rest of the family and don't have the chance to consolidate and re-remember them.