How much do you remember in your first 20 years of life?

[Anonymous]

I remember so little of my first 20 years, and I'm wondering how it compares to others.

Do you remember your high school graduation? Where it was, what you wore, what you did afterwards?

Do you remember feeling intense love for your parents as a child?

Do you remember your college graduation?

Do you remember what you did most days after school in elementary, middle, high school (what your general routine was, not specific days!)

Do you remember what childhood dinners were like with your family?

I'm just curious....I have trouble remembering all of these things except for college graduation. I feel like memories don't imprint on me very well...

[Anonymous]

How old are you? I can remember all that stuff back to elementary school. Age 5 and earlier I have memories but sometimes am unsure they are my own memories or remembering stories I was told about myself. I think it's quite unusual not to remember things from high school and college age.

[Anonymous]

Yes I remember all of that except maybe what I did after school until 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes I remember all of that except maybe what I did after school until 8th grade.

I’m 50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember so little of my first 20 years, and I'm wondering how it compares to others.

Do you remember your high school graduation? Where it was, what you wore, what you did afterwards?

Do you remember feeling intense love for your parents as a child?

Do you remember your college graduation?

Do you remember what you did most days after school in elementary, middle, high school (what your general routine was, not specific days!)

Do you remember what childhood dinners were like with your family?

I'm just curious....I have trouble remembering all of these things except for college graduation. I feel like memories don't imprint on me very well...

HS grad - yes but I mainly remember how the classmate next to me was pregnant

Love for parents - I mean not really. Not that I didn't. They were just there as parents.

College Grad - yes I have a few memories of the ceremony/friends/speaker/celebration/dinner

Daily after school - getting treats at the store down the road, going to friends houses, running errands with mom

Dinners - yes always had the same boring stuff in my opinion (now I appreciate it) and usually ate as a family.

[Anonymous]

I don't remember much from my childhood. I remember some bits from high school very vividly, but childhood, nah.

I don't remember feeling intense love for my parents. I remember fighting with them as a teenager though.

My mom smoked pot when she was pregnant so I suspect that impacted my memory.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I remember, but I have a good memory. Unfortunately for me, childhood.

Can you not remember your graduation even when you look at a picture of it?

[Anonymous]

I'm 55 this year and I have thousands of very clear memories of my childhood going back to about 3 years of age, from when I remember being home with my then SAHM and watching the Watergate hearings on television. Lots of 'shhhh' from my mom.

25 years later I studied criminal law with Sam Dash, famous chief Senate counsel for those Watergate hearings.

I am very grateful at times to have this kind of memory, because I had some childhood experiences especially with my maternal grandmother which I am glad to be able to close my eyes and revisit in some clear detail and some a bit fuzzier. I would be sad to not recall all the after school afternoons I spent reading and playing records and having those marathon talks on the phone with friends you just saw an hour ago at school.

The downside is that my ACEs score is an 8 and I have pretty clear recollection of most of the trauma experiences I had as a child, too.

I find one of the most important habits one can develop is the habit of steering the brain to recall positive memories and not as much negatives ones. The natural tendency is to the negative and one of my tools for coping with childhood ptsd is to constantly redirect my very active brain from those trauma memories to memories of the smell of the salt air and the sound of the surf as I lay in the hammock on the screened porch of my grandmother's Chatham beach house reading books and eating cucumber slices dipped in French dressing.

I have known lots of people in my life who similar to you OP don't have a lot of clear memories from childhood and young adulthood. I can't say I've ever envied that, but I do suppose the ability to be more forward thinking having a dearth of data for regrets or recriminations is not a bad thing. Interesting anyway the variances in the human brain.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I remember all of that. I’m in my mid-40s. My earliest memories are from age 3, but those are spotty, of course.

[Anonymous]

I remember weird things, sneaking chocolate chip cookies after school, sneaking off to play in the backyard and almost falling into the river, but I feel like I'm missing major parts of my memory. Probably all the alcohol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember weird things, sneaking chocolate chip cookies after school, sneaking off to play in the backyard and almost falling into the river, but I feel like I'm missing major parts of my memory. Probably all the alcohol.

I'm 46 FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember so little of my first 20 years, and I'm wondering how it compares to others.

Do you remember your high school graduation? Where it was, what you wore, what you did afterwards?
Yes, I remember it. My dad came into town for it. I wore a white dress -- I didn't know that was a traditional thing to do, I thought we were just doing it because our graduation gowns were white (our school colors were blue and white and the boys wore blue and the girls wore white).

Do you remember feeling intense love for your parents as a child?
No. One was relatively absent and one was abusive. I do remember feeling intense love for my grandparents, though.

Do you remember your college graduation?
Yes. But barely.

Do you remember what you did most days after school in elementary, middle, high school (what your general routine was, not specific days!)
Not well. But I remember walking home from the bus in elementary school. And remember walking home from middle school. And driving home from high school. I remember eating a lot -- Kraft mac and cheese and ice cream -- when I got home from high school, because I actually wanted to gain weight (lol, those were the days...).

Do you remember what childhood dinners were like with your family?
Yes. This varied depending who my mother was married to (sigh). But yes, I very much remember them (and not fondly).

I'm just curious....I have trouble remembering all of these things except for college graduation. I feel like memories don't imprint on me very well...

Answers in bold above. I think because I suffered a lot of neglect and abuse there are some things that I remember more than the average person, and some things I remember less.

[Anonymous]

I don’t remember most of it either. I have a friend from college who remembers everything, I go to her and she’ll give me the details on things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember so little of my first 20 years, and I'm wondering how it compares to others.

Do you remember your high school graduation? Where it was, what you wore, what you did afterwards?
Yes, I remember it. My dad came into town for it. I wore a white dress -- I didn't know that was a traditional thing to do, I thought we were just doing it because our graduation gowns were white (our school colors were blue and white and the boys wore blue and the girls wore white).

Do you remember feeling intense love for your parents as a child?
No. One was relatively absent and one was abusive. I do remember feeling intense love for my grandparents, though.

Do you remember your college graduation?
Yes. But barely.

Do you remember what you did most days after school in elementary, middle, high school (what your general routine was, not specific days!)
Not well. But I remember walking home from the bus in elementary school. And remember walking home from middle school. And driving home from high school. I remember eating a lot -- Kraft mac and cheese and ice cream -- when I got home from high school, because I actually wanted to gain weight (lol, those were the days...).

Do you remember what childhood dinners were like with your family?
Yes. This varied depending who my mother was married to (sigh). But yes, I very much remember them (and not fondly).

I'm just curious....I have trouble remembering all of these things except for college graduation. I feel like memories don't imprint on me very well...

Answers in bold above. I think because I suffered a lot of neglect and abuse there are some things that I remember more than the average person, and some things I remember less.

I'm this PP ^^ and I'm 54.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember so little of my first 20 years, and I'm wondering how it compares to others.

Do you remember your high school graduation? Where it was, what you wore, what you did afterwards?

Do you remember feeling intense love for your parents as a child?

Do you remember your college graduation?

Do you remember what you did most days after school in elementary, middle, high school (what your general routine was, not specific days!)

Do you remember what childhood dinners were like with your family?

I'm just curious....I have trouble remembering all of these things except for college graduation. I feel like memories don't imprint on me very well...

I'm 60 and I have memories of all this time period -- I don't remember it all, of course but I do have memories of various things/events starting from about 4(pre-school). I remember HS grad, College grad, after school, sports, scouts, church, other activities, vacations, visits with grandparents, extended family get-togethers, etc, etc. I don't always recall all the details - for example, HS graduation was at DAR Constitution Hall, it was hot hell, I don't remember the specific suit I wore other than it was too hot to be in it, and I have vague memories of being there, how crowded it was, but I don't remember where/what we did afterwords.