To ask how many people don’t remember much of their life, specifically childhood?

[Randomname85]

It’s only really dawned on me since I met my husband who remembers EVERYTHING in great detail, remembers the day he met his baby sister and asked her to play for example (he was only just 2). He remembers all the toys he had, where he always went on holiday, specific things that were said, the first film he ever watched etc etc. Even to the slightest detail ‘I first heard this song when I was getting my hair cut in the high street and it made me want to learn guitar’ - you get the picture. He’s always asking me things like ‘what were you doing New Year’s Eve 20 years ago’ and I’m like 🤷‍♀️ yet he can remember.

I can’t remember much at all 🤔 and it makes me really sad. When im asked my earliest memory I really couldn’t tell you. Of course I remember some things but not sure how old I was/when it was etc, I get strong memories when I see photos and it’s like a light switch goes on so it’s like I only have visual memory. My parents fought a lot and jt wasn’t the most pleasant experience but I don’t remember being SO unhappy that I would have blocked everything out! Plus it doesn’t explain my lack of memory the last 10+ years.

Anyone else or just me?

I’ve been thinking about my childhood/early twenties recently because I remember hardly anything, last month I found some diaries from 14 to 21 and I’m shocked about things that happened that I have no memory of, even reading them I still can’t remember these things, even something that affected my health and now affects my dd, I told the doctor there was nothing in our family history like that, how can I forget something so important (and this was late teenage years soI wasn’t very young)

My earliest memory is from when I was 2, a couple from age 4-5 but a lot of my memories are from ages 6-10 though

I can hardly remember a thing. A few bits here and there but my parents and siblings have totally different recollections of the same events.

I'm like you OP! I actually have a really good memory but don't remember much of my childhood and from what j do I couldn't tell you if i was 6 or 8, 9 or 12 years old. It's all mixed up. My parents also fought and I didn't feel like a particularly happy child when I think back

I don't remember much. It probably doesn't help that I have aphantasia.

I dont. I remember precious little, sadly.
I rely on my sister to fill in a few gaps.

I lost loads of memory when I had kids. With each pregnancy I lost some more. To the point, I was getting scared to have any more kids. I didnt anyway, which quite frankly, may be just as well.

I am same as yourself, OP. Can hardly remember much in my childhood. I find it sad actually. I would love to pass on memories to my own DC but can't.

DH remembers loads of details from his own childhood. I feel very envious of him.

I can't remember hardly anything. And was extremely happy. I don't remember first day at school. I dont remember hardly anything. It's not that uncommon.

I remember a lot of stuff- where I was when I had certain conversations, every holiday I have been on snd every place we visited. DH doesn't and gets really cross when I have to remind him or even worse suggest he doesn't have such a good memory, even though it's obviously just luck of the draw 🙄

I seem to remember everything down to the tiniest details but when I discuss it with family/friends from the time, they often don’t remember what I’m talking about, which makes me feel like a bit of an oddity. I know that the memories are real because lots are fairly insignificant things that weren’t subsequently discussed/anecdotes. One of my DC seems to be the same, so I think that it can just be one of those things that varies between different people.

It’s known as severely deficient autobiographical memory (SDAM) - Google it. I have it - don’t think it’s linked to trauma. And it doesn’t mean you have a poor memory for other things, just your own timeline.

I remember loads. Especially random stuff. But then compared to my best friend of over 20 years she remembers more of our joint childhood than I do. (We became friends when we were in primary school)

My 3rd birthday. We spent the night in the air-raid shelter and I remember walking up to the house in my dressing-gown and slippers feeling excited, We were evacuated soon after that and never returned to 15 Nugent Road, South Norwood.

I hope it's not aligned with unhappy childhoods, because one of my adult DDs is the same! It makes her sad too, because she knows that she had a happy childhood with lots of great experiences (travel, family etc) but can recall very little of it. As she lost her dad in early adulthood, she'd like to remember time with him, too.

I can remember some things, like where I was when I found out about 9/11, I can still picture myself then and I can remember some but not all day trips and holidays but mostly don't remember a lot.

I don't remember much at all but my brother remember loads so I rely on him to relay it all to me!

Remember next to nothing and a few of the things I do remember I think may be wrong or fake. Because they dont ring true to me.
Blocked a whole lot out and glad of that, it was a miserable childhood, I wanted to die for most of it.

Still timelines are a problem. Often wondered if I was ever arrested and asked my whereabouts on a set day say 3 years ago. I'd have no idea at all and even looking in my diary wouldnt trigger anything.
^this came about when I was waiting for someone who had been arrested and got talking to a man who's wife was being interviewed. He said that he had to go home to find the tickets for the holiday they had been on to prove his wife hadn't done whatever cos they weren't even in the country.

I have no childhood memories. I was the first grandchild so loads of photos even cine film ( I’m getting old) of me doesn’t trigger any memories. Bizarrely I remember the plots of books and songs that I read/ learned as a child. My younger sister has a super level of memory ( must have my share as well) and occasionally talks about our very happy and loving childhood but nothing ever comes back to me. I seem to lack the ability to form memories as an adult as well, even precious things like my wedding day or the birth of my children are not a clear memory to me now, it’s sad. I feel I lose so much, I have a lovely holiday enjoy it very much then it just drifts away from my conscious mind. I forget people / names/ places I rely on my DH a lot.

I have hardly any memories before the age of about ten.
I had a very hard childhood we were very poor and my father was extremely violent.
My older sister is haunted by our childhood and has had counselling in the past, but I don't remember much of it.
I actually feel guilty but still not sure if I genuinely don't remember or if I blocked it all out, is that really possible?

So yes in answer to your question I have very few memories as a young child.

Op - your post resonates with me. My dc are 22 and 20, and I mourn the fact that I don’t recall their babyhood - what they looked like, baby smells, developmental stages etc. like you, photos triggers memories, but without them, I recall very little. Other people seem to have detailed memories of their dc’s.

I've lost about 7 years after my mum died during primary school

I temember a fair load of it, my brother not as much as me. It’s funny because somebits he rememberS I can’t. It’s strange how the brain works.

You may want to look up SDAM, which stands for Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory. Often people who have SDAM also have Aphantasia, which is the inability to visualise.

Both of these are on a spectrum, with people ranging from remembering detailed memories to those who (like me) are unable to recall big events like one’s own wedding day, the birth of their child, first steps etc even down to forgetting films straight away.

@CortisolandCaffeine

It’s known as severely deficient autobiographical memory (SDAM) - Google it. I have it - don’t think it’s linked to trauma. And it doesn’t mean you have a poor memory for other things, just your own timeline.

Ah, sorry. I did read all the posts but had a problem changing my username and missed the subsequent posts.

If you, OP, do feel you have SDAM, there is a good group on Facebook you might like to join.

I can hardly remember anything, my sister remembers everything. It makes me really sad because I struggle to recall events as an adult since I've had my children too.