Babies and toddlers do not remember. I beg to differ. A picture remains in my mind to this day. I am approximately 18 months. It is in the parlor of the old Spencer Lake farmhouse. I have on a pink dress with white high top shoes. I have curly hair; perhaps I know this because they are talking about me. That's right, about me! It is only knees I see, but I know they are looking at me. My picture contains an old rug, chairs, and knees. No faces. I do know that Grandma and Grandpa Dunsirn are in the group.
Not too many months later Grandpa Dunsirn dies. Grandma Dunsirn is Lydia; people say I look like her. I agree.
Memories are attached to places and people. I suspect that the reason I know my early memory is that I have lived in 39 homes in 62 years making it easier to place a memory and assign an age to it. Maybe that's a plus for mobility.
1 comment:
Thanks for the great evidence that memories can go all the way back to toddlerhood. I love that the picture inyour head contains only what was in your scope of view at that age...knees and other items at eye level.
Moving around a lot sure does help with jogging the memory, doesn't it? The houses are like little tabs in a file cabinet that help you to keep all the memories organized and in place.
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