I have lots of clear memories from preschool, which I guess would make me around 4. There are some fragments from before then–sitting on my dad’s shoulders watching a parade, for instance–but I don’t really believe them. For all I know, I constructed these memories after the fact based on conversations. The preschool memories I’m more confident about, since they involve multiple senses (including my own feelings at the time).
I’m 39 and don’t have any certain memories before the age of about 10. I know that seems nuts, but I’ve never been able to ascertain which of my early memories are real and which are embellished fragments. For example, I think I remember a christmas when I was 3 or maybe 4 years old but I’m just not sure whether this arose independently of, or was caused by, a photo of this time (me, my brothers, christmas tree in the background) that I would’ve seen many times over the years.
From year 1 onward…
Usually, I remember everything where a picture was involved…no picture…no memory sequence to access.
I can smell San Francisco on peoples clothing/belongings at the Airport, last encounter was a few years ago though…
And the 65/66 T-Bird also has a distinctive smell…both things come from when I was 1-2 old. They still smell the same last one I was around a few years ago.
My Grandparents had said T-Bird when I was born in Arlington Va in 66, and I was in San Fran in 68…
I hit the ground running and toured the US before I could form a complete sentence…lol
If I really think about it…I can grab at least one, if not more, memories from every year from 1-45…
Another memory, in addition to the two I already mentioned: My brother and I being given a bath in the kitchen sink . . . and I remember that he had an erection. Now, he’s three years older than I am, so I’m guessing we’d be somewhere around 1 and 4. Any older and we’d be collectively too big for the sink.
I am 36, and my earliest memory is me standing at the top of the stairs to the basement and seeing both my grandmothers across the dining room and the kitchen counter. I remember thinking something about they were supposed to be watching me but they weren’t! And then I fell down the stairs and cracked my skull. I dont reneger the falling or cracking parts, just the looking across the room and being bratty part. It was my sister’s third birthday party, so I was one year and one month. My mother had gone down to get something from the basement and I wanted to follow her. My sister complained for years that I ruined her birthday party by having to be rushed to the hospital.
The earliest I can remember that I know for sure would be at about 7 months - the neighbours girls caught my attention and I crawled over to the fence to get closer. One of my early memories just seems weird to me now. I was learing to walk at the time, and remember reaching up to try and grab a door handle. I’ve been over 6’ for 30 years now.
There is no sound to any of my memories before about 3 years.