What’s your first memory?

[Russian Guy]

Just write down earliest memory of your life.

 

[Russian Guy]

I go first.

[WARNING: GRAPHIC]
I'm lying in my cot beside a stove warming a room (I'm three). The premise that nothing shows signs of trouble is shattered in pieces as I start to hear oncoming noises: my uncle flies into the room with the speed of a bullet and so does my father only to argue and insult each other. As thing are heating up, I can witness how the verbal altercation turns into the act of cruel violence: the father punches the uncle in the face with all his might. Thereupon the uncle collapses. The father wastes no time to lean over the uncle and relentlessly beat him up. When he’s done, the father stands up all covered in gore, spits on the unconscious body left lying on the floor in the puddle of its own blood, curses and walks away to drink beer and to listen to loud rock music up the house.
R.I.P. my uncle.

 

[WildCherry]

I'm so sorry about your uncle and the circumstances surrounding what happened. My first memory is when I was 3 or 4. My parents had divorced, and there were issues between them. My mom moved us in with her mom, my grandmother. One evening when she was out, my dad came unannounced to pick me up. My grandmother was holding me, and my dad was pulling on my legs trying to drag me away from my grandmother. I don't remember how it turned out, but I do remember screaming.

 

[HappyKitty]

I survived through life, because I’m lucky. Lucky that my prayers came through that I’ve prayed everyday during my tough times to have enormous support of love while I struggle and to not be lonely even if I still feel like it is the whole point. I just can’t believe I can find that all myself just because my family isn’t emotionally supportive of me.

And I still love her so much. “Make the most out of today, tomorrow is not promised.”

 

[EmB]

These are so sad. I wonder if there's a relationship between first experiences and mental health? Or these experiences are just a matter of growing up in a pretty miserable environment. Either way, sending loads of love to all of you <3

Sending hugs

Em

 

[Gonz]

These are so sad. I wonder if there's a relationship between first experiences and mental health? Or these experiences are just a matter of growing up in a pretty miserable environment. Either way, sending loads of love to all of you <3

Sending hugs

Em

Both, I think. I mean, the more negative early experiences a person has, the harder it will be to keep their mental health in check, and also the more likely it is that one of those experiences becomes the earliest memory.

I've got more than a few shitty memories from early childhood, but I guess I'm glad that the earliest memory is just playing with my older sister on one of the weekends my dad had visitation.

 

[Ixtab]

Two years old pre school my brother was sick infant we all prayed for his recovery and he recovered but I remember it I can see the other kids’ worried faces still and I’m old now.

 

[Wispiwill]

I'm 4 and in hospital recovering from a serious operation. My memory consists of me lying in bed being bothered by people (my parents but in the memory I don't know that) and I just want them to leave me alone because I'm so very tired. All I want to do is sleep.

I have no memories that I can date before that.

 

[Walker]

I'm with @Wispiwill The earliest thing I remember is also being in the hospital. I had been running a fever all night and dad, being a dad, wasn't ignoring it but was waiting til mom came home to take care of it. (It was 106 for fucks sakes!) So she came home and freaked out and they tried for a while to bring it down which didn't work. I ended up in the hospital where they did spinal tap, which I remember quite clearly and then being in the ICU which I only remember a flash of but I was in there with a camera pointed at me and I was wearing a robe or something with pink elephants on it. (or I was hallucinating haha Never know!) But that entire scenario is the first thing I remember, I think. I'm pretty sure I was around 3 at the time.

 

[WildCherry]

This post is fascinating to me. There are some exceptions, but generally, a lot of our first memories seem to be something that was intense, traumatizing in some ways. That just makes me wonder about how the mind and memories in general work when we're really young.

 

[SAVE_ME]

As a baby in a hospital lift (elevator) with my mum, crying because I was afraid of the lift and the sensation of the ground moving upwards, earthquake-like - terrifying to an infant!

 

[sinking_ship]

When I was a toddler my mom had to go to the ER for stitches bc she cut herself in the kitchen, and she had our neighbor across the hall come watch us. I remember calling for her in the morning from my crib and Kay coming instead. And I remember that she gave my sister and I chocolate ice cream, haha.

 

[KM76710]

My earliest memory...I was a baby, the doctor circumcised me and I was not able to walk for a year or so...

The serious answers from age 5 and under when my parents were still together:

I can remember clearly is rolling down a flight of steel stairs at the apartment we live in in Dallas because of my lazy eye. I had the operation and even got to wear an eye patch like a pirate.

My parents going to a drive-in movie and taking my brother and I, the movie was Marooned and distinctly remember a scene where Gregory Peck gets pulled over on stretch of highway by the police because he was head of the space agency and they were pulling him over to see he got quickly back to the center because spaceship was in danger.

 

[Dots]

Cool post and interesting answers. I'm an infant. We're inside an apartment or house. There's stairs leading up to a second floor and a baby gate blocking the path. Now I'm on the second floor in the hallway. Things are moving kind of fast, but I'm able to recognize a floral painting on the wall. I can see it directly so my mom must be carrying me. I don't like the painting. I don't know why.