Except for very few exceptional folks like my pal Oweniwe, we don't bring memories from our past lives into the present one (although they sometimes surface from time to time. That partly explains 'deja vú')

Babies also don't retain memories, and research has indicated that most people's earliest memories only go back to about age 3-1/2. Sigmund Freud coined the term “childhood amnesia” to describe this loss of memory from the infant years. (I borrowed this from Google ). We have a few rare exceptions like I mentioned earlier. These rare few remember back to the very first moment they opened their eyes after being expelled from the comforting warmth of their mother's womb.

I agree with the aforementioned research submission on the beginning of most people's memories because mine goes thus-

I am sitting down, holding my older sister's hand. I am wearing a white sleeveless blouse and an itty bitty, slightly faded flower blue skirt(in retrospect it must have belonged to my older sister and that explains why the colour was fading).The skirt is really short and I have to sit down with my legs tightly closed (thank God pedophilia wasn't as rampant as it is now).

I and my sister are sitting down on a low bench, in a courtyard facing a brown painted bungalow with a verandah. Flowerless green plants are in front of the bungalow. There is an old man wearing a white, knee length babariga and white trousers sitting in the verandah. Before him is a bowl of eba and ogbono soup which he is eating with such relish. I stare, fascinated at the man's Adam apple as it bobs up each time a ball of eba goes down.

My sister leans over and whispers in my ear "Ishi, don't look at him o. There is ant in his soup. He is eating eba, ant and soup."

I am horrified. I gasp in disgust and avert my eyes.

Decades later, my sister has no memory of this event but after I described the house and the courtyard to my mum, she recognised it as the very first house we lived in when we first moved to Lagos (I was 8 months old at the time). She remembered the old man. He was our neighbour. She also recalled threatening to beat the bejesus out of my sister if she ever let me out of her sight, which is why big sis was my shadow. It also explains why she was holding my hand tightly in that memory of long ago when I was 2 and a half years old, watching my neighbor swallow huge balls of eba and supposedly ant tainted ogbono soup.



And THIS, folks, is my earliest memory! Everything that happened to me prior to this is a total blank.

What's yours?

I remembered how Dr. Patrick brought me out of my mother's womb

I just dey look am as he dey try cut the umbilical cord.

Homeboiy:
I remembered how Dr. Patrick brought me out of my mother's womb


I just dey look am as he dey try cut the umbilical cord.

Be serious

That ant thingy messed my mind up though. Till date I always unconsciously examine my ogbono soup for signs of ants before eating it.

Are you writing a novel? You mean this lucid description for an 8 months old? When do babies start to fully understand speech? There are aliens on nairaland

I was a little over 3.

We went to the village for Christmas. My mum always warned us not to stay out late at our cousins, but me in particular no dey hear word.

That evening I was at my cousin's place when they started cooking rice, with chicken. I just can't understand why they didn't start earlier, because my elder one came to call me before the food was served.

On our way home, my brother said "*** see that woman wearing white". I thought it was his usual play, he used to enjoy scaring me. Alas I turned and indeed there was a woman in the bush, she had a white wrapper on. She looked just like those women we see in Yoruba movies (no disrespect intended).

When I looked back, my elder one was gone. I saw him far ahead, almost close to the house. So, I took off too...

Mind you, I have klegs, it was dark and I was small, abi short sef. How fast can I possibly run? I didn't go far before I fell flat on the floor. I felt a sharp pain by my knee, but trust adrenaline na, I jumped up and continued my race...

I got home crying, scared and betrayed. My mum said we were hallucinating, but I could swear I/we saw that woman.

Anyway, I still have the scar till date.

We passed that plot of land few years back and my bro asked if I can remember that woman. I was like "Nna ehn, guy you no try that night o".

My earliest memory I have was in nursery school, (nursery 2) when I had to call a girl winch, and another girl rebuked me telling me winch is a bad word. That's all

I remembered the day my uncle died, I was 2yrs old. I think that is my earliest memory.

sacx:
Are you writing a novel? You mean this lucid description for an 8 months old? When do babies start to fully understand speech? There are aliens on nairaland

They moved when she was 8 months old. Her story happened when she was almost 3.

I can remember to detail every of my childhood memories when I smoke weed.

sacx:
Are you writing a novel? You mean this lucid description for an 8 months old? When do babies start to fully understand speech? There are aliens on nairaland

You misunderstood my post. I was eight months old when my family moved to Lagos and 2.5 years when I remembered that stuff I described.

pocohantas:
I was a little over 3.

We went to the village for Christmas. My mum always warned us not to stay out late at our cousins, but me in particular no dey hear word.

That evening I was at my cousin's place when they started cooking rice, with chicken. I just can't understand why they didn't start earlier, because my elder one came to call me before the food was served.

E be like sey e pain you

The woman was likely a juju priestess serving Olokun or an Ogboni member.

I found myself sitting on a chair in btw dad and some other creep. Starring at the black and white vacuum tube tv in peheaps amazement at the object.

I was wearing singlet and maybe I was wearing briefs

I can't recall how old I was but it was below 5 as I was in nursery 2

IamCharles123:
I remembered the day my uncle died, I was 2yrs old. I think that is my earliest memory.

2 years! Wow

Thegamingorca:
I found myself sitting on a chair in btw dad and some other creep. Starring at the black and white vacuum tube tv in peheaps amazement at the object.

I was wearing singlet and maybe I was wearing briefs

I can't recall how old I was but it was below 5 as I was in nursery 2

Why was he creeps? Did he try to feel you up?

Fast forward I remember Winston and ezenwa

Winston was a halfcast and baby brother of another halfcast Jennifer whom I never saw till this day eye to eye but was described as a fair maiden with skin so soothen to the eyes.
I remember we were playmates on the playground riding on opposite ends of a seesaw.
I remember coming 2nd with no effort of my own. Honestly, I don't know when or how we were assessed.

I remember another bow leged classmate in our class...she was notorious for getting upset and crying maybe someone beat her always. and her clothes were always too dirty.

I remember our teacher then in nursery school whom I feared far more than God

Ishilove:

E be like sey e pain you

The woman was likely a juju priestess serving Olokun or an Ogboni member.

E pain me. I can't even lie. That my aunt was rumoured to be a very good cook way back.

I sat down with my floral gown, waiting for the food. Ah! I just felt a sharp pain in my chest for that food wey I no chop 32yrs ago.

Ishilove:

Why was he creeps? Did he try to feel you up?

I use words like blokes, nigga and creeps to express ppl I've far forgotten about and don't want to recall if at all possible.




Frankly Wellllllllll at a point the dude stopped hanging around my dad and stopped coming to visit. So I assume he wasn't at all relevant

pocohantas:


E pain me. I can't even lie. That my aunt was rumoured to be a very good cook way back.

I sat down with my floral gown, waiting for the food. Ah! I just felt a sharp pain in my chest for that food wey I no chop 32yrs ago.

I thought you're 45?? Aunty stop reducing your age.

I remember crying as my mum (or was it dad) was taking me to start school. I remember the "aunty" trying to test me to determine what class I would be placed in.
I remember crying as the "aunty" is asking me to recite the alphabet and numbers.
She approves my performance and I think she decided that I would be placed in Nursery 2.
I remember that she asked my age and I answered "5".

Was I crying to go back home with my mother? I think so.
Or was it dad? Damn I'm confused
No solid memory before that event.

I'm very certain I was four.

We lost granddad and dad had to travel with us to the village for the burial. dafvck did I even know what a burial was. My brother and I were utterly confused as to why dad left us with mom to go hangout with the ppl at the burial site.
I just saw weird ppl in black whom mom said are my uncles and aunties

Somehow somehow unless my memory has failed me...we ate a lot of meat and chocolate to the extent I fell sick. I remember Dad was distraught.

Fast forward to primary 1..... one day we suddenly came back from first grade like any other randy day and mom suddenly had another thing that looked like a doll in her hand. Everyone was congratulating her in the neighbourhood and I was just utterly confused.

Later on we were told the oyinbo looking doll baby pikin with small feet was my brother and I's baby sister.

Ishilove:

I thought you're 45?? Aunty stop reducing your age.

which 45 hian

This madam nah sweet sixteen...(late 20 or middle 20)

Ishilove:

I thought you're 45?? Aunty stop reducing your age.

Autocorrect Ma'am.

pocohantas:


E pain me. I can't even lie. That my aunt was rumoured to be a very good cook way back.

I sat down with my floral gown, waiting for the food. Ah! I just felt a sharp pain in my chest for that food wey I no chop 32yrs ago

Highly unnecessary. This thread will most likely make front page. Don't make it about you.
If dem say you be attention seeker now you go dey vex.
Abeg no respond. I take Obatala beg you.

Thegamingorca:



which 45 hian

This madam nah sweet sixteen...(late 20 or middle 20)

See

It's happening already

ThothHermes:
See

It's happening already

Lol

I remember things back then were really tough...

ThothHermes:
I remember crying as my mum (or was it dad) was taking me to start school. I remember the "aunty" trying to test me to determine what class I would be placed in.
I remember crying as the "aunty" is asking men to recite the alphabet and numbers.
She approves my performance and I think she decided that I would be placed in Nursery 2.
I remember that she asked my age and I answered "5".

Was I crying to go back home with my mother? I think so.
Or was it dad? Damn I'm confused
No solid memory before that event.

So you started school at age 5?

Gentstevie:


I bet the scar and the fear at that time, would never make you forget lol

Lol, you can say that again.
The scar is there as a reminder.

Ishilove:

So you started school at age 5?

Nursery 2

It's never about how far but how well

Thegamingorca:



Nursery 2

It's never about how far but how well

Bro, nowadays kids who are still in diapers are hauled off to school. I didn't start school till I was 4. KG 1.

You are not alone

Ishilove:

So you started school at age 5?

No.
I changed school. Just that the memory of the previous school is more or less non-existent.

I know the school though.