To ask how much of your childhood can you remember?

[gratefulll]

I was chatting with friends earlier about childhood memories and I was surprised at how much they can remember. I can barely remember any of it. I have small glimpses of certain things like little snapshots of memories but no really detailed stories I can tell. I am only in my 20s so thought I should be able to remember more.

How much can you remember?

First memory from before age 2.2 can remember another memory from age 2 but not falling down stairs, although I dreamt of falling regularly until my mum told me I fell downstairs, then those dreams stopped. Can remember visiting our new house when it was for sale, so before 2years 8 months. Remember quite a few memories from playschool,lots from school.

Pretty much the same as you, and I'm also in my 20's. I remember bits and pieces but I couldn't tell a detailed story about something, like you it concerned me when people can sit and remember all the details and I can't. I know I had a good childhood and I wish my memory was better. Same with secondary school when I was a bit older, only remember bits and pieces.

I barely remember anything from before my 20s. Don't even remember my 16th, 18th and 21st birthdays

About 68.3%.

Twigletfairy and others do you know why you don’t remember? Bad memory ie physiological, trauma, lack of interest?

I’ve diagnosed myself with severely deficient autobiographical memory. I remember very little.

I can barely remember much from any age really. Just snippets, snapshots. some half remembered impressions of places and experiences. Am I broken?

I read an article once about how children who’s parents are divorced often don’t remember their childhood pre-divorce. This is true for me, my parents divorced when I was 8 and although they kept it as amicable as possible for my sake, I have barely any memories from before that time, in contrast to several friends who’s parents are married.

Not very much. There are some things I remember, milestone moments. But much of my early life up til I was around 20 is a blur.

I’m sure I had a lovely childhood, lovely family, friends, nice house, plenty of hobbies and holidays but I can barely remember anything before I was about 16! I’ve had the same best friend since I was 3 and she can remember loads, it’s really strange!

Too much unfortunately. It was the 1970s and sexual abuse was taboo, and didn't happen. haha. And I struggle to forget any of it, wish I could.

I have a few memories of being a toddler, and a few of being up to age 6, then I can remember more after that, but it's vague and I couldn't say what happened at what age, just random memories.

Not loads. Bits and snippets here and there, but very few consistent memories until my teens, and even then, not lots until university.

I didn’t even realise I had so few memories until my eldest DS went to secondary, i I realised I couldn’t tell you a thing about being his age. All the transitions between schools, first days, last days, teachers, all gone! I do remember exams though.

I have exceptionally strong childhood memories, can definitely remember the house we lived in before I was 1, opposite the first station, and also our high street shop and flat above up until the age of 2.5. I remember lying in bed above the shop and listening to the Salvation Army band practising next door. I remember the day my Mum left my dad, I remember a holiday to Cornwall aged 2.5. I think the reason I have these strong memories is because when I was little, whenever I couldn’t sleep, my mum would lie with me and play ‘memory lane’, where we’d talk about where we’d been and what we’d done. It’s almost as if this cemented the memories. My own children don’t have any real memories before 4.

I have no memories either, apart from some around 7yrs old and bits and pieces from there onwards. So weird isn't it?

My other half remembers everything from aged 4 onwards!

I'm in my 60s and I remember quite a lot. I remember my dad looking after me when I was 2 and my mum went into hospital to have my sister - 3 weeks in a hospital 30 miles away. He baked a cake in a biscuit tin and the mixture dropped through the holes in the corners.

I remember visiting my infant school before starting and what we did on my first day there.

I can’t remember much of my childhood. I think that part of my brain got missed out and I got extra song lyric storage capacity instead.

I read an article once about how children who’s parents are divorced often don’t remember their childhood pre-divorce.

I find this very interesting. My dad says he barely remembers his estranged sister, who left home when he was nine. This is completely alien to me - I remember my sister being born when I was three; it’s my first memory. I think it says a lot that I have early memories, and these were sparked by a happy event for the family, whereas my dad has almost ‘blotted out’ what must have been a difficult time.

The first house I ever lived in went on the market recently. We left when I was four, yet when I saw the pictures I could distinctly remember looking out of the bedroom window.

I was thinking this the other day; we spend so much time and money trying to give DS lovely experiences and he probably won’t remember half of them when he’s older 🙈.

Specific days/experiences I can remember flashes of them, some days quite a lot. Big events like when I was a bridesmaid when I was 10 and had to travel to London for fittings etc I can remember quite a lot of, as it was a big deal to me at the time! I can remember the layout of every school I went to and sometimes walk round them in my head, and what each of my primary classrooms looked like. I can also remember small snippets of specific days, the odd thing people said, little events. Family holidays I remember well, where we stayed and even meals out/conversations.

I do generally have a very good memory though!

I remember quite a lot 1982 better than 2012
My adult DC remember hardly anything

I am 39 can can remember pretty much everything from aged 5. It’s very odd at times because it doesn’t feel that long ago and if only it worked on academic things I would have been a genius. I have sketchy memories from the age of 2.
However I can’t remember much from the time I was pregnant up to my DS’s first birthday.

I remember a fair amount, and a lot of my memories are absolutely crystal clear. Unfortunately, a lot of the crystal clear memories aren't great - I vividly remember every single time I got a smack when I was little . My mum used to hit really hard :(

I find it interesting that more memories are coming back to me now I have a toddler. Sometimes he'll do something and I'll get a flashback to doing something similar.

I remember loads! Earliest memory about 2 or 3. I can remember conversations, dreams, dates of friends’ birthdays, holidays, everyday stuff... What’s weird is that I also remember the big news stories of the ‘80s and roughly when they happened, but events that have occurred since the mid ‘90s, I can’t remember so well.

@TestingTestingWonTooFree

I’ve diagnosed myself with severely deficient autobiographical memory. I remember very little.

Was just going to post about this. There was a thread on MN quite a while back about this (I’ll see if I can find it) because it resonated with me and it is an actual condition (which I was unaware of at the time). If I chat with my DM and DSis about when we were little they talk about things that I have no recollection of eg. They will say do you remember when we were on holiday at x place and y happened, I can barely remember being at x place never mind what happened whilst we were there. This has continued with my DC, my recall of their lives when they were small and what they did and where we went is very patchy and we are only talking a few years ago.

I dont know whether I have this but I do sometimes wonder.