Memorase

As I was playing with my daughter, I wondered if she can ever recollect all of the things we are doing together now. She is just a year old and for sure she already has understanding of what is happening around her. Of course her memory is functioning already. Then I thought to myself, why can’t I recall anything that has happened when I was just a year old?

The earliest memory I have of my childhood was something about me feeding a giraffe in manila zoo. And that’s it. No more memories earlier than that that I can recall.

What is the earliest age at which point we are able to recall things about our life? I know that things that happen in our everyday life are all stored in our brain. The retrieving part is what is difficult. And why can I recall the thing with the giraffe but not anything about that day in the zoo? Why can I recall that event when I was just 2 or 3 but I can’t remember the name of that woman from last week or where I put my earring, or what is the title of the movie I just saw on tv last night?

What was so special about that giraffe and me feeding it? Why don’t I remember any animals I saw that day?

Will Melissa Leigh remember the things we did? The way she smashes her milk bottles on my face? The times she laughs whenever she pushes the light switches on and off?

How about you? What is your earliest childhood memory? And do you know why it is that particular event that stands out?