In honor of #tbt, I thought I’d share a picture that corresponds with my first memory.
Or what I think is my first memory anyway. Everything I’ve read about retaining memories before age 3 leads me to believe it is very unlikely I actually remember this, and yet I’m convinced. My Mom told me she has a memory from around 1.5 years old, so maybe it runs in the family.
My Memory
It was my first birthday. I received a gift of a red raincoat with white hearts from some of my dad’s cousins.
My Mom put the coat on me and all of my relatives stood around me in a circle. (I was the only grandchild at the time.) They told me to model my coat, and I remember spinning around and everyone ooooing and awwwing and telling me how cute I looked.
Is it any surprise I retained that memory? People fawning over me telling me how great I am. Haha.
What is your earliest memory?
I cannot believe you remember from your first birthday. I’ve heard of that before, but it just sounds bananas. My first memory is going to McDonald’s with my Dad. There’s a Polaroid picture of it somewhere. I was 3/ 4. It bums me out a little that McDonald’s is part of my first memory, but the McDonald’s of my childhood was different.
I thought McDonald’s was a magical place when I was little. I loved the food, the play place, and what other restaurant would give you a toy with your food??
I totally thought McDonald’s was an amazing place. I have a very different opinion now! But it’s neat how we remember these things.
By the way, I just heard this story on NPR about why we remember and forget certain things from our early childhood and totally thought of your blog post. Check it out: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/08/299189442/the-forgotten-childhood-why-early-memories-fade
One thing they say about memory is that it is linked to language development. So, I believe that children (babies) whose language develops early – and we understand much earlier than we speak – could remember things from a very early age. I remember the layout of a house we visited on a vacation when I was one and a half. My mother confirms my memories of this trip. My daughter remembers things that happened in a house we moved from when she was 18 months old. So, I think you could be right in this memory of yours.
That makes a lot of sense, Colleen. I know I was an early talker, so maybe I understood a little earlier, too.
That’s so cool you remember a vacation as one of your earliest memories! Must’ve been a fun one.
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