Age of Your First Dated Memory

[Spock]

I don't think we have done this here and it might be fun.

What is the youngest memory that you can absolutely date? I am not looking for "I was about 3"-I think it would be fun to date the earliest memory you have.

One of my things is that I am very good at remembering when things happened. For example, we last got together with so-and so in 1993.

1) At first brush, I can get to just either side of my 3rd birthday (September 1969). I can remember my Uncle Howard dumping a truckload of sand for my sandbox. I am not sure which side of my birthday he brought it.

2) Howard died less than 3 months later in a farm accident on the day before Thanksgiving. I can remember seeing him walking across the yard from my grandparents' steps. I don't know when that was in regards to my birthday but, obviously, I was less than 3 years and 2 1/2 months old.

3) This is one that I have a hard time believing, but my grandparents' had a live-in farm hired hand who died in February, 1968, when I was less than a year and a half.

One of "our" things is that he would hold me on his lap and let me listen to his pocket watch. I distinctly remember that happening. I obviously have to consider whether my memory is based on my being told about it, but I don't think so. I have always thought my memory of it is real which gets me down to just younger than a year and a half.

[jaybee]

I've got two - both from when I was 3-1/2. Not sure which one was earlier, both were in the Summer.

I was swinging on our swingset in the backyard of our house in Hackensack NJ. Singing, "Take me out to the ballgame"

Same house, also Summer: I was riding my tricycle on the sidewalk in front of that same house. Nothing special about it except that I told myself that 'I was going to remember this forever". I've always assumed that I'd heard someone talking about kids remembering things. No real clue why I was thinking like that but there it is.

We moved from that house in late April of '63, I'd turned 4 in March. I've got many other memories of that house, but they were of either being inside or definitely in the Winter so I'm assuming they were later than the two above.

[jaybee]

One of "our" things is that he would hold me on his lap and let me listen to his pocket watch. I distinctly remember that happening. I obviously have to consider whether my memory is based on my being told about it, but I don't think so. I have always thought my memory of it is real which gets me down to just younger than a year and a half.

My oldest son always claimed that he remembered his first trip to Disney World. He could describe in detail being held by his mom (who was very pregnant with his brother - who is 18-1/2 months younger) while the monorail was going by. This would put his memory at about 1-1/4 years old. But he was not remembering the actual event, he was remembering a picture. Up until he was 5 or 6, we had a picture from that vacation sitting on our mantle. In it we were all together, mom was holding him and the monorail was in the background. When he told us about this memory, we dug that picture out to show him what he was actually remembering.

Side note: For the life of me, I can't remember what i had for lunch yesterday.

[Spock]

One of "our" things is that he would hold me on his lap and let me listen to his pocket watch. I distinctly remember that happening. I obviously have to consider whether my memory is based on my being told about it, but I don't think so. I have always thought my memory of it is real which gets me down to just younger than a year and a half.

My oldest son always claimed that he remembered his first trip to Disney World. He could describe in detail being held by his mom (who was very pregnant with his brother - who is 18-1/2 months younger) while the monorail was going by. This would put his memory at about 1-1/4 years old. But he was not remembering the actual event, he was remembering a picture. Up until he was 5 or 6, we had a picture from that vacation sitting on our mantle. In it we were all together, mom was holding him and the monorail was in the background. When he told us about this memory, we dug that picture out to show him what he was actually remembering.

Side note: For the life of me, I can't remember what i had for lunch yesterday.

I know it is questionable so I can't really count it. I suspect we will end up with a lot of first solid memories occurring around the age of 3.

Sig (his name) always sat in the same spots for meals and I am not sure if he took his barn boots off and I remember teasing my grandma by rubbing chocolate chip cookies on the floor where he sat and her getting upset about rubbing the cookies in the manure. I am assuming that teasing was after he was gone. I can't imagine an 18 MO doing that and remembering.

[tlynn78]

There are a couple random ones earlier, but March 17, 1964 was the biggie. Home with older siblings while Dad picked Mom up from work. Watching TV, when the earthquake hit. I was 3y7m. Lots of bits and pieces, and I'm sure some of them are "memories" of stories related afterwards, but some are real.

[BackInTex]

4 for me. I remember watching my mom give my baby brother a bath in the kitchen sink and I remember being at six flags when I was 4. No pictures exist of either.

[Bob Juch]

I can't put an exact date on anything before my first day of kindergarten. Everything before that would be just the year.

[Bob78164]

I remember waking up on my fourth birthday. I had a sore throat and before I got out of bed (actually, the couch I was sleeping on until we could move to a bigger apartment), I read the birthday card I'd received from one of my grandmothers. --Bob

[triviawayne]

Two years old. In an unpaved parking lot in a car seat in the back of my father's 1969 Buick LeSabre. We were waiting for my grandfather to come out of work. We were waiting forever before finally going in to find out what was keeping him, and he was stuck in the elevator.

I don't remember what type of place it was, but if I have to guess, it would be a clothing store attached to the factory. We were in the building a few years later (I think for back to school clothing shopping, so that's why I think this is a clothing store attached to the factory), and the elevator was still on the first floor, roped off and out of order.

[earendel]

Third birthday. My parents had a special birthday cake made, with plastic horses and corral on top. I sat in a high chair in the driveway in front of our garage.

[bazodee]

February 20, 1962.. John Glenn's orbital flight. It was the day after my 4th birthday.

I have many memories well before that date as we moved around almost every year and I remember snippets about residences going back to age 1.5.... but I can't precisely date any of those.

[franktangredi]

I know I have memories going back to age two. I remember being at my great grandmother's house because of all the cats in the back yard, and she died when I was two. I'm pretty sure she also gave me a cookie.

[Spock]

February 20, 1962.. John Glenn's orbital flight. It was the day after my 4th birthday.

I have many memories well before that date as we moved around almost every year and I remember snippets about residences going back to age 1.5.... but I can't precisely date any of those.

Cool, some support for my pre 1.5 ticking pocket watch memory. While I would not have realized what death was, I may have grasped that that "Thing" ended and somehow it stuck in my mind.

On pictures and memory. (and being told about something and memory) I was thinking about this some.

If a casual picture were taken at my wedding (for example) and I see it sometime later-no one would be surprised if it jogged my memory and I said -"Oh, Yeah, I remember that."

Maybe toddlers deserve the benefit of the doubt on it also. Maybe, Jaybee's toddler remembered the actual event for a long time and it stayed in his mind because of the picture and he was not just remembering the picture. I don't know-just spitballin' here.

[tlynn78]

February 20, 1962.. John Glenn's orbital flight. It was the day after my 4th birthday.

I have many memories well before that date as we moved around almost every year and I remember snippets about residences going back to age 1.5.... but I can't precisely date any of those.

Cool, some support for my pre 1.5 ticking pocket watch memory. While I would not have realized what death was, I may have grasped that that "Thing" ended and somehow it stuck in my mind.

On pictures and memory. (and being told about something and memory) I was thinking about this some.

If a casual picture were taken at my wedding (for example) and I see it sometime later-no one would be surprised if it jogged my memory and I said -"Oh, Yeah, I remember that."

Maybe toddlers deserve the benefit of the doubt on it also. Maybe, Jaybee's toddler remembered the actual event for a long time and it stayed in his mind because of the picture and he was not just remembering the picture. I don't know-just spitballin' here.

I have images in my brain of the aftermath of the earthquake at our house, and I'm sure those 'photos' don't actually exist anywhere but my brain, although there are plenty of photos of the damage to Anchorage in general, many of which I've seen dozens of times.

[Beebs52]

I could not provide any dates at all, just knowledge of where we were living at the time, which was Chetek, Wisc, next door to my grandparents. We moved to Beaver Dam when I was 5.

My first "memory" or visual was a flat white expanse fading into black, which I can only interpret as a crib.

I specifically remember hollering"Mommommom" during nap time because I wanted to get up. That would be maybe 2ish, 3ish.

I vividly remember, age 4, getting stung by a bee on my neck. We had hydrangeas around our front porch, a bee alit on my blue dress skirt, and, being the genius I was, pulled my skirt over my head trying to get the dress off.

Also at that age I was pushed down on the street by a neighbor boy, who was maybe the same age or a bit older? Tried to I guess pull my pants down etc. Nothing else happened.

Things I remembered for years were recurring dreams that were set in Chetek, jumping up and flying to avoid the nasty Spitz dog on the corner, and trying to avoid heat registers, which frightened me. My grands' house had one of those huge flat floor registers.

With that I'd believe those memories over many more current ones. We seem to misremember a lotta stuff, like from 20 years ago, etc.

[kroxquo]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

[Spock]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

When were you born-if you don't mind. I was born September, 1966.

I wore braces at roughly the same age, but I don't remember them. You don't seem to see much of that anymore and I wonder if that was a "Thing" then.

[BackInTex]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

When were you born-if you don't mind. I was born September, 1966.

I wore braces at roughly the same age, but I don't remember them. You don't seem to see much of that anymore and I wonder if that was a "Thing" then.

Oh my, I haven't thought of that in a long time. I think I had leg braces, too, that I slept in. No one to ask but my one living aunt. I'll have to get back to y'all on that, if it's a real memory or not.

[jaybee]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

When were you born-if you don't mind. I was born September, 1966.

I wore braces at roughly the same age, but I don't remember them. You don't seem to see much of that anymore and I wonder if that was a "Thing" then.

Oh my, I haven't thought of that in a long time. I think I had leg braces, too, that I slept in. No one to ask but my one living aunt. I'll have to get back to y'all on that, if it's a real memory or not.

I had a full length - hip to foot cast from when I broke my left leg at 9 months old. But I have no memory of it other than the actual cast, which we had saved for quite a few years. No one knows how I broke it but my parents speculate that this was the day that I learned how to climb stairs. (Apparently I didn't do so great on the getting back down part.)

[Bob Juch]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

You may have gotten Forrest Gump's old ones.

[Spock]

When were you born-if you don't mind. I was born September, 1966.

I wore braces at roughly the same age, but I don't remember them. You don't seem to see much of that anymore and I wonder if that was a "Thing" then.

Oh my, I haven't thought of that in a long time. I think I had leg braces, too, that I slept in. No one to ask but my one living aunt. I'll have to get back to y'all on that, if it's a real memory or not.

I had a full length - hip to foot cast from when I broke my left leg at 9 months old. But I have no memory of it other than the actual cast, which we had saved for quite a few years. No one knows how I broke it but my parents speculate that this was the day that I learned how to climb stairs. (Apparently I didn't do so great on the getting back down part.)

As apparently just about every big brother does-my "Stair" memory is cutting off my little sisters painfully grown pigtail. Mom was not pleased-but I do not remember that part-but I do remember cutting off that tempting little target.

Li'l Spock cut the Spocklette's hair also.

[kroxquo]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

product of its
When were you born-if you don't mind. I was born September, 1966.

I wore braces at roughly the same age, but I don't remember them. You don't seem to see much of that anymore and I wonder if that was a "Thing" then.

I was born in May of '65 and I definitely do think it was a product of its time.

I don't remember this, but I was horribly bow legged. My mother says that before I got the braces and we would go to the beach, I would wander around picking things up off of other people's towels and bring them bac to ours. So they tethered me at our towel and people would walk by and say, "Look how those people have that poor little crippled child."

[BackInTex]

I wore braces on my legs to straighten them out when I was two. I wore them for about a year and I remember when I returned them to the doctor's office, my grandparents told me to tell the lady at the desk that I hoped they helped someone as much as they helped me.

When were you born-if you don't mind. I was born September, 1966.

I wore braces at roughly the same age, but I don't remember them. You don't seem to see much of that anymore and I wonder if that was a "Thing" then.

Oh my, I haven't thought of that in a long time. I think I had leg braces, too, that I slept in. No one to ask but my one living aunt. I'll have to get back to y'all on that, if it's a real memory or not.

Update: No braces but I did have these orthopedic shoes to correct pigeon toe issues and I wore them at night when I slept with a bar connect the the insides of each to keep my feet separated and straight while I slept.

[Vandal]

I can remember hearing Beatles songs from 1964 while I was taking swim lessons at the Y in SoCal (San Bernardino).

I was four.