Your Earliest Memory

[Winston]

My first memory is of the day in late 1968 when my family moved from Copenhagen to Western Jutland, right across the country. I had just turned 2 years old the month before and I don't remember anything from our life in Copenhagen, but one occurence on the moving day itself made enough of an impression on me to stick in my mind forever after.

We had a large truck with all our things parked maybe 50-100 meters away from the brand new apartment we were moving into, and all the furniture and stuff had to be handlifted piece by piece, so it was pretty much an all-afternoon thing to get it all under roof. Being the little one, I couldn't be of much help with anything, so I kept to the apartment while everyone else were at work to shuttle the things in.

Not the most exciting day for a 2 year-old, but I found out that the front door, all the time opened up against the side wall, had created a nice little triangular-shaped "secret room", where I could slip in and stand, watching all the familiar things being carried in.

Much fun to be had by this, but then it suddenly struck me: All this furniture and things kept arriving, but the one thing I loved more than anything at the time was missing: my little crated bed! My worry grew quickly into full-blown despair, as I realised it had probably been left behind or lost in all the confusion! Tears immediately ensued, until my dad came, found out what was the matter with me and then proceeded to take me by the hand to the room where my little bed had been put as one of the very first things, all nice and ready for a little nap.

I have lots of memories from later on in the new place (we only lived there about a year), while as mentioned, none from the old place in Copenhagen, so it's a little funny to think that such a thing that happened on the moving day itself became the first thing that stuck with me.

What is the first thing you distinctly remember?

[Asher]

I don't have any memory before I was eight years old.

[Verto]

That's a normal side effect of being frozen in carbonite

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Asher
I don't have any memory before I was eight years old.

did you get hit on the head?

[Japher]

It's Asher, what do YOU think?

I remember gnawing on this swing set because it tasted good, and my mom yelling at me not to do that because of head poisoning... what the hell??!!! I bet she meant lead poisoning.

[DeathByTheSword]

i remember my right hand was coming closer by and closer and closer....and then i felt something hit my head and i fell back...when i got up again i started over watching my hand come closer....it took me 3 days to find out that i was hitting myself my parents had social service over because of the brouses on my butt from falling on it...

[Sikander]

My first memory is of sitting in a high chair in my grandmother's kitchen at about 1 year of age. My mother and grandmother were talking while I was "eating". Actually I wasn't interested in the food on my tray, but on the contents of the cookie jar on top of the refrigerator. I was at the age where I could understand quite a bit, but could say very little. I pointed at the cookie jar and squawked. My mother came over and looked at my untouched food and told me that I couldn't have a cookie until I ate some of it. Then she went back to talking to my grandmother. I started to play with my food then in order to give it the appearance of having been tried, then made another squawking request for a cookie, which was granted.

[BeBMan]

I have some little traces of early memories, but for most of them I can't exactly specify the time (date, or my exact age back then). One thing I remember quite well is the first day in kindergarten....

[Provost Harrison]

How old did you say you were there Winston? 26?

[el freako]

Most people can't remember early memories because they find them hard to date accurately - as a toddler dates are things that happen to other people

Winston's example is of something that he remembers that he can, in later life, put a date to and so know how young he was then.

The same is true of my 'earliest memory'.

I am adopted and so is my sister - and I can remember going to get her from the foster home, I was sitting in our red Hillman Hunter and my old carry-cot was strapped to the seat next to me.

I remember thinking 'I don't need that cot anymore, I'm a big boy now"
My mum and dad took the carry-cot out of the car and into this bungalow we had parked outside - when they returned it had a baby inside of it!! Life was never the same again

[alva]

Your Earliest Memory

Can't remember it.

[Tattila the Hun]

Hum, can't remember yesterday...
Me thinks, it's more of a feeling of crass under my feet on summer, at about 2...

Anyone read that comic by Enki Bilal? If you have, you know what I'm talking about. It was... "Monsters Dream" in Finland, if I recall correctly.

[Harovan]

I have quite some memories from the kindergarten time (3-6 years), however chances are, that I have one memory from significantly earlier. I remember a glowing light and that I was scared to death about it. I don't know myself what it was. My parents brought up the assumption, that it might be the candle of my 1st birthday. They told me, that I had made a big fuss about it, kicking and screaming, so that they had to douse it. I don't know whether this is true or not and probably never will be sure, but it sounds logical.

[Dracon II]

I'd finished my dinner but was still hungry... I was very upset... so dad gave me the rest of his dinner.

I was a big baby.

[Stuie]

I have one vivid memory of picking up my grandfather and grandmother at a hotel near our house. I described the scene to my mom years later and she confirmed that is was something that actually happened when I was 18 months old. It's my only memory of my grandfather - he died only a month later.