NationStates Jolt Archive

Most people seem to forget things that happened when they were very little, although some few say they can remember incidents from their very early childhood.

One of the things I remember is my father telling me to quit crying about something ( I think I had hurt myself in a fall or something ), and my asking him, "How can I quit crying?" I think I was about three years old. I also remember hugging my old dog, Smoky, and how he smelled.

What are your earliest memories?

I can remember being three, and throwing toys around, like I'm not supposed to. Then I went over to the "time-out" chair for my punishment, without being told! I think I turned out pretty good for never being spanked.

What are your earliest memories?
I can remember a nightmare about our car crashing into the river Severn, which probably happened when I was two years old (as that was the only time we went there when I was young). I had forgotten about it entirely until we went by the Severn again when I was in my late teens, and had a kind of flashback. My parents assure me that it didn't actually happen.

I can remember moving house when I was four years old - I remember my younger brother getting a chocolate biscuit and I didn't. My parents assure me that I was ill at the time.

I can remember another nightmare, of a tornado chashing me while I was carried on a stretcher by my father and grandfather, which I think was when I was four years old.

I remember one, when I was two or three...talking to my mother about the weather being weird.

And christmastime when I was three, running out to all the presents. And a day at the beach from about that time, which was finished up with a movie at the cinema.

And teaching myself to read using Sesame Street a while after that.

Not very interesting.

My first memory happened when I think I was 3 in some kind of pre-school. We were having a talk about the seasons when the teacher said there were four of them and I argued that there were just 3: spring, autumn and then winter, for some reason I had never heard of summer. Altough i had to concede that spring was rather long.

I do some from england though so with our sometimes rather pitiful summers, this memory does make a bit of sense.

I have memories from when I was about two or so, but they're a bit sketchy. I have some memories of the first time my mother and I were in the States when I was that age. Unsurprisingly, I remember little about being at home at the time, because it wasn't really that interesting at the time :p

I can remember being three, and throwing toys around, like I'm not supposed to. Then I went over to the "time-out" chair for my punishment, without being told! I think I turned out pretty good for never being spanked.
Kudos for your young self! :D

Kudos for your young self! :D
Well, I knew what was comming! :p

I remember one, when I was two or three...talking to my mother about the weather being weird.

And christmastime when I was three, running out to all the presents. And a day at the beach from about that time, which was finished up with a movie at the cinema.

And teaching myself to read using Sesame Street a while after that.

Not very interesting.
Hey, count your blessings. At least all of yours seem to be happy memories. :)

What are your earliest memories?Those that I can stick a time to? Fall of the Berlin Wall.

My first memory happened when I think I was 3 in some kind of pre-school. We were having a talk about the seasons when the teacher said there were four of them and I argued that there were just 3: spring, autumn and then winter, for some reason I had never heard of summer. Altough i had to concede that spring was rather long.

I do some from england though so with our sometimes rather pitiful summers, this memory does make a bit of sense.
Heh! At least you were thinking it through based on what you knew! :D

Well, I knew what was comming! :p
Wise child you were ( are? ), grasshopper! :D

Those that I can stick a time to? Fall of the Berlin Wall.
Kewl! How old were you?

Actually, I wasn't asking you to limit yourself to those you can put a date on. I can't put a date on any of the ones I mentioned in the original post. The earliest one I can put an actual date to was seeing a photo of Joseph Stalin on the cover of our local paper and asking who he was and why he was on the paper. My grandmother told me that he had just died and that he had been an evil man. :)

Hey, count your blessings. At least all of yours seem to be happy memories. :)

Yeah, actually, my early life was great. I don't think I have any bad ones. :)

My earliest memories are nightmares. I remember waking up from them alone and screaming, and the room I woke up in and my bed. As we moved when I turned two, that must have been very early indeed.

The first concsious thing I remember is me spending time with my grandmother during the day when my mother was at university. Going shopping with her and keeping the family grave in order... she still looks after it at least every second day.

I'm gonna get yelled at for this, I know I am...
Honestly, my earliest memory is being placed in an incubator shortly after being born. And I am being serious about that.

Wise child you were ( are? ), grasshopper! :D
I was five months when the Wall came down...so you can guess from there honorable sensai. :)

Yeah, at least my memories weren't traumatic. That's really good, actually.

Most of my childhood memories are pretty hazy, but this one stuck with me for some reason. I was chasing after an ape holding balloons. I thought it was a weird dream for the longest time until my mom confirmed that when I was three, I managed to escape from my carseat, unlock the car door and escape before she noticed. Of course, the second I was out the door my mom realized what was going on, jumped out of the car and ran after me. The car rolled off, she caught me and sure enough I was going after some guy in a monkey suit with balloons.

Yeah, actually, my early life was great. I don't think I have any bad ones. :)
That would explain why you're one of the calmer, more logical people on here! :D

-snip-
CLASSIC. LOL.

I'm gonna get yelled at for this, I know I am...
Honestly, my earliest memory is being placed in an incubator shortly after being born. And I am being serious about that.

Wow.

That would explain why you're one of the calmer, more logical people on here! :D

LOL. Calm...maybe. Logical....nah! :D

My earliest memories are nightmares. I remember waking up from them alone and screaming, and the room I woke up in and my bed. As we moved when I turned two, that must have been very early indeed.

The first concsious thing I remember is me spending time with my grandmother during the day when my mother was at university. Going shopping with her and keeping the family grave in order... she still looks after it at least every second day.
Grandmothers, by and large, are great! My grandparents pretty much raised me after my sorry-assed "mother" left my father and me right after I was born. Watta biatch! Heh!

I'm gonna get yelled at for this, I know I am...
Honestly, my earliest memory is being placed in an incubator shortly after being born. And I am being serious about that.
OMG! If that's a real memory, and not a false one, you win a cookie for having the earliest memory of which I have ever heard! :)

I was five months when the Wall came down...so you can guess from there honorable sensai. :)

Yeah, at least my memories weren't traumatic. That's really good, actually.
LOL! "Sensai!" Heh!

Good! Most studies show that children who have good memories of childhood, and who felt loved and cared for, turn out to be very stable adults. :)

Honestly, my earliest memory is being placed in an incubator shortly after being born. And I am being serious about that.
That's not all that strange, it was probably quite strange for such a young child. I would imagine that is something to remember, plastic everywhere, no mummy, you're angry, and you're not warm inside your mums belly. Wow, I feel like a woman or something right now.

Most of my childhood memories are pretty hazy, but this one stuck with me for some reason. I was chasing after an ape holding balloons. I thought it was a weird dream for the longest time until my mom confirmed that when I was three, I managed to escape from my carseat, unlock the car door and escape before she noticed. Of course, the second I was out the door my mom realized what was going on, jumped out of the car and ran after me. The car rolled off, she caught me and sure enough I was going after some guy in a monkey suit with balloons.
I'll bet you still have a fondness for balloons! :D

It's weird because it's unusual but I remember having my diaper changed as a baby.

And when I was 3, I fell of the stairs. I remember being at the top and falling down. My mother opened the door of the living room and started to laugh. She didn't believe that I fell.

LOL. Calm...maybe. Logical....nah! :D
LOL! Hey, you said it, not me! :D

OMG! If that's a real memory, and not a false one, you win a cookie for having the earliest memory of which I have ever heard! :)
It could be created, but when I mentioned it to my mother and grandmother (at the time I brought it up, I was four) they had never told me about being in an incubator, hell, I didn't know what one WAS. All I rememberd (and still remember) is noise, being carried and placed on my back, and a (I think it was plastic) lid being closed over me.

Of course I also have a remarkable memory, it annoys the hell out of my fiancee because I don't forget and she can't use that against me. ;)

Wow, I feel like a woman or something right now.
Wow! Feature that! Tsk! :D

Most people seem to forget things that happened when they were very little, although some few say they can remember incidents from their very early childhood.

One of the things I remember is my father telling me to quit crying about something ( I think I had hurt myself in a fall or something ), and my asking him, "How can I quit crying?" I think I was about three years old. I also remember hugging my old dog, Smoky, and how he smelled.

What are your earliest memories?
I remember the exact moment when I realized that other people could not hear my thoughts. See, I initially assumed that if I was thinking, "I'm hungry," then clearly everybody would know that I was hungry. I even went so far as to assume that they must also be hungry, since I was hungry. Around a year of age I had a revelation that, in fact, my parents might not be deliberately thwarting my will by refusing to obey my thoughts, and that they might actually be unaware of those thoughts until I vocalized or otherwise signaled to them. I remember consciously resolving to improve my talking skills.

After that, I have no conscious memory until my last day of preschool (I was 4, I think).

It's weird because it's unusual but I remember having my diaper changed as a baby.

And when I was 3, I fell of the stairs. I remember being at the top and falling down. My mother opened the door of the living room and started to laugh. She didn't believe that I fell.
That's a very early memory too. Guess this group is a bit unusual in that regard ... they remember things from very early on. Hmmm.

It could be created, but when I mentioned it to my mother and grandmother (at the time I brought it up, I was four) they had never told me about being in an incubator, hell, I didn't know what one WAS. All I rememberd (and still remember) is noise, being carried and placed on my back, and a (I think it was plastic) lid being closed over me.

Of course I also have a remarkable memory, it annoys the hell out of my fiancee because I don't forget and she can't use that against me. ;)
Wow! Just ... wow!

That memory of yours will serve you well when you're married. Gotta remember all that stuff yer spouse tells ya! Heh! :)

I remember the exact moment when I realized that other people could not hear my thoughts. See, I initially assumed that if I was thinking, "I'm hungry," then clearly everybody would know that I was hungry. I even went so far as to assume that they must also be hungry, since I was hungry. Around a year of age I had a revelation that, in fact, my parents might not be deliberately thwarting my will by refusing to obey my thoughts, and that they might actually be unaware of those thoughts until I vocalized or otherwise signaled to them. I remember consciously resolving to improve my talking skills.

After that, I have no conscious memory until my last day of preschool (I was 4, I think).
Holy shit! Now that is really something! Somewhere awhile back I read that newborns may assume that others know what they're thinking. This would fit well with that.

Do any of you have any idea how rare it is for people to remember anything before the age of five or four? Yet here in this group we already have five or six people who remember very far back indeed! Someone needs to study you guys! :D

I'll bet you still have a fondness for balloons! :D

Man, I'm telling you... I use my kid to get balloons. If I go past a car lot with balloons, I steal them! It's bad... I need help. (Help!)

Man, I'm telling you... I use my kid to get balloons. If I go past a car lot with balloons, I steal them! It's bad... I need help. (Help!)
*Off topic, sorry Eut* Nice to see someone else from Reno on the board. ;)

Man, I'm telling you... I use my kid to get balloons. If I go past a car lot with balloons, I steal them! It's bad... I need help. (Help!)
Hehehe! First time I ever heard of a "balloon addiction!" :D

*Off topic, sorry Eut* Nice to see someone else from Reno on the board. ;)
NP!

Reno! Woo woo! :D

Hehehe! First time I ever heard of a "balloon addiction!" :D

It's so much worse than that, I've just realized. Guess my favorite song. Just guess.

(And thinks for the nice Reno cheer:D )

my earliest memory is when I was about 2, my mom left me with my grandmother's friend while they went somewhere, and she tried to feed me green beans that were cold and blended into baby food. I refused to eat them, she spanked me, my mom came back and she told her that she had to spank me because I wouldn't eat. My mom asked why I wouldn't eat and I told her it was yucky. She asked grandma's friend what she was feeding me, and grandma's friend told her. She was so mad, she said "of course she wouldn't eat that, nobody would, that's disgusting, you need to apologize!!!"

I never had to stay with her again, and I have made a vow never to make my kids stay with someone like that.

The furthest back I can remember...was back in kindergarten. Back then, they had a "Child of the Day" type scenario, where each kid would get a turn to be noticed and such. I remember feeling quite jealous of the first kid, because at that time, I didn't know everyone would eventually be the child of the day at least once in the school year.

Tying in with that, was the day I was chosen as Child of the Day. I felt nothing but embarassment and didn't want it, and let the teacher now.

Damn, I was a basketcase. oO;

-Asylum Nova

my earliest memory is when I was about 2, my mom left me with my grandmother's friend while they went somewhere, and she tried to feed me green beans that were cold and blended into baby food. I refused to eat them, she spanked me, my mom came back and she told her that she had to spank me because I wouldn't eat. My mom asked why I wouldn't eat and I told her it was yucky. She asked grandma's friend what she was feeding me, and grandma's friend told her. She was so mad, she said "of course she wouldn't eat that, nobody would, that's disgusting, you need to apologize!!!"

I never had to stay with her again, and I have made a vow never to make my kids stay with someone like that.
Awwww! Most little people don't need to be spanked. My apologies for that behavior. :(

Awwww! Most little people don't need to be spanked. My apologies for that behavior. :(
I don't like people who spank, I think it teaches kids bad lessons, like it's okay to hit, and if you make someone mad they can hit you. I know that some kids don't respond well to other forms of discipline but spankings at the very most should be your last option. I have babysat kids before and the parents say "If they act up spank them, they won't sit for time out" and I never had to spank them, I have figured out that with most kids, you can just sit them down and talk to them (once they calm down enough to listen)

...I have figured out that with most kids, you can just sit them down and talk to them (once they calm down enough to listen)
This is so true! While it isn't about spanking, I got a cracked skull at my summer job. And this kid was wailing and crying, but as soon as we got him to the First Aid Station, got some compresses on his head and some ice, he calmed down and was like, "What happened?"

Anyhow, I let his mum tell him because she was being a really good sport about it, and she told him straight up that his skull was cracked open, there's lots of bleeding, and that he might need stiches.

Totally not caring at all about a possible infection or his head being cracked open, he goes, kind of quietly under his breath, "Mommy, I don't want stiches!"

Anyhow, he had to go to the hospital, and I imagine he had to have stiches. Most people underestimate kids, and thus resort to lying to them or spanking. I plan on never spanking my children, if I ever have any. Anyhow, that kid was a trooper. He could handle the truth, and his mum knew it.

I don't like people who spank, I think it teaches kids bad lessons, like it's okay to hit, and if you make someone mad they can hit you. I know that some kids don't respond well to other forms of discipline but spankings at the very most should be your last option. I have babysat kids before and the parents say "If they act up spank them, they won't sit for time out" and I never had to spank them, I have figured out that with most kids, you can just sit them down and talk to them (once they calm down enough to listen)
Most spakings are because mommie or daddy lost their patience, not because the little person truly needed it. I was way too hard on my kids when they were little, but fortunately I got over it. :)

Most spakings are because mommie or daddy lost their patience, not because the little person truly needed it. I was way too hard on my kids when they were little, but fortunately I got over it. :)
yeah, my girls and I have a rule (similar to the rule my husband and I have) that if we are just really angry or frustrated we are allowed to have a calming down time before we finish a discussion. There are many times that I go to my room and take a deep breath and remind myself that they are just kids before I go back to talk to them about breaking the rules, and many more times when they want to go to thier rooms and "get out thier angries" before we talk. It is much easier to recieve discipline when you are calm and much better to dish it out when you are calm too.