My earliest memory is 2ish, being gurneyed from a hallway with my mom (clearlyu upset) into the surgical area before my first open heart surgery. The memory faded over time, until it became a memory of a memory around age 45...I can tell there was a change from remembering detail, like anything about the wheeled bed, to the base characteristics of the memory.
My Mom didn't tell me the story, nor could she have described the moment, as she doesn't remember. I remember. On the other hand, I do remember that my primary cardiac surgeon, Dr. Rosengart, was not part of the entourage of staff wheeling me in. I met Rosengart again when I had my last open heart surgery at age 31.
It's uncommon for people to have memories from age 2, but I've met quite a few people with early memories, as it can be a fun topic to discuss. Parents try to anchor kids first memories as happy, but my anecdata doesn't seem to fit a pattern of trauma or banal or happy. Early fixed memories seem utterly random.
My Mom didn't tell me the story, nor could she have described the moment, as she doesn't remember. I remember. On the other hand, I do remember that my primary cardiac surgeon, Dr. Rosengart, was not part of the entourage of staff wheeling me in. I met Rosengart again when I had my last open heart surgery at age 31.
It's uncommon for people to have memories from age 2, but I've met quite a few people with early memories, as it can be a fun topic to discuss. Parents try to anchor kids first memories as happy, but my anecdata doesn't seem to fit a pattern of trauma or banal or happy. Early fixed memories seem utterly random.