Discussion»Questions»Life and Society» Did you ever do something as a young child, that over time you didn't believe it really happened, then discovered it did?
I have chosen recall. There are some things I did that I could never imagine myself doing; therefore, I have convinced myself I didn't. I dined on ants. I am not a big bug person and certainly would not put them in my mouth. ICK! What a Horror!!!!! I still do not take claim to this behavior. My parents will tell you differently. I think they made the whole thing up!
Wracking my brains to think of something - nothing comes up.
Whenever something bad happened at home, Mum would say to Dad that she was worried how it would affect the kids (my sister and me). Dad would reply, "Don't worry. They never remember a thing."
I'd feel impotent rage each time, and renew my determination never to forget. In my mind, forgetting was the key to never understanding. Both not understanding and not being understood had painful consequences.
Problem - even the best-trained memories are fallible. And the interpretation we put on our memories can often colour them. It can take distance, time and adulthood to get a more objective perspective.
I guess we were just playing with matches and it got out of control. Kids do stupid stuff. We didn't do it intentionally. I remember making some gunpowder once, and when I lit it, it flared up and burned my eyebrows off.
Yes. My sister remembers much more about our childhood than I do. Sometimes she tells a story from those days of which I have no memory. As time goes by I often will remember a part of it, even if just basically an image. Memory is funny like that. I'm certain that without hearing the story I would have never had the slightest recall.
Benedict Arnold 