What is your earliest childhood memory that you can remember?

[Amy10223]

I was once on the floor, and saw a penny and picked it up. I remember my father saying "Don't put it in your mouth". Now, whether I was crawling or walking at the time, I don't know, but how I understood him is another thing altogether. I know he was concerned about me eating that penny.

I also remember being at a funeral. It might have been for my grandmother or aunt, and my father was carrying me. I kept asking him, "Is she sleeping?" and he'd say yes. Then I'd ask, "Is she dead?" and he also said yes.

What about you?

[mstbooblover]

A tough question, because I'm not able to put into the right chronology such early memories. My mother died in 1958, meaning I was 4 years. The first few memories go back to the time she was still well alive. We lived in Congo, then a Belgian colony.

I must have been between 2 and 3 years when once in front of our porch a car drove by in an incredible cloud of dust and big clanking noise. The car had weels without tires, and the road was made of plain beaten earth. A very odd scene I never forgot.

Around the same time, probably half a year later, I remember my mother carying on her left arm three dishes containing the dinner for my younger and older brother and me. One of the dishes fell off her arm. She was in a bad temper but put down the 2 remaining dishes on the table, and rearranged a third dish. My father stood there in white colonial clothes. Probably I was 3 years old, and my younger brother 2.

[Amy10223]

Great memory that happened long time ago. so your Mother was very much someone who did everything on her own. My mother was the same.

[mstbooblover]

Both my parents were into physical education and both were teachers to a school. My mother seems to have been very able to care for herself and earn a living, because she was the one, already married to my father, to find a Job in Congo. A complicated story actually. I don't really know how my mother managed to still keep the household, although we had what was then called a "boy".

[Amy10223]

She sounds like a strong woman, your Mom. Bless her!

[mstbooblover]

Yes, she was according all testimonies.

[SnowedIn]

In the yard of our house in Connecticut and mom teaching me about flowers and bushes.

[Amy10223]

Did you learn a lot? Thats a nice memory.

[SnowedIn]

I did sort of! I still can recognize the shrubs and flowers that we had and I'm pretty clueless about most other growing things.

[Amy10223]

I still remember going to Central Park on a trip with our science teacher. He pointed out a ginkgo tree, with the fanned leaves. I liked science a lot so I always paid more attention, so I remember that. Later on I liked astronomy. You learn a lot as a kid.

[weysally]

my first memory was an apple, and I recall my mother taking it from me, whipping it on her jumper then saying you do this every time, I still do that now,

[Amy10223]

Do you mean wiping? lol. That's a nice memory. Do you know how old you were about?

[weysally]

I do mean wiping, I think about four, that's sort of the age my memory started to kick in

[Amy10223]

Very young then.

[weysally]

yes could have been nearing 5, that is when most of my memories started to come through

[Anonymous]

Walking down the hallway of my childhood home and realizing that I knew nothing before that moment.

[Amy10223]

That's interesting. I wonder how old you were.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” ― Socrates

[Opinion Owner]

I was three at the time.

[Amy10223]

Very smart of you to realize that at that age.

[Opinion Owner]

No, I had no memories of anything before that moment. Had to have a conversation with my mom to try and figure out who I was without letting on that I didn't know.

[Amy10223]

I never thought about who I was, at that age nor even when I was older. I think when you're a little older, is when identity begins to develop, or at least when you begin to worry about having one. Age 3 is very young, in my opinion. I'm talking about the stages of development, by Piaget ( I think that's the guy).

[Opinion Owner]

I am pretty sure that I was experiencing amnesia. When I was younger I thought it was due to a head injury. Now that I know about my father; I suspect it was a coping mechanism for sexual abuse.

[Amy10223]

I'm sorry about that. :( You were blocking a traumatic memory.

[Opinion Owner]

That is what I figure

[AviatorTom]

I think I was 3yo. I was riding my yellow pedal car... in the house.

[Amy10223]

Nothing wrong with that! Unless it was in the kitchen or living room where you could knock down a lamp. :{