Memories

I recently got into a discussion about childhood memories with a friend. I thought I would share on here some of my research. While some people have many vivid childhood memories, some have none, and others will have just one or two by the time they are adults. Obviously this has many variables and no one knows the exact reason, but there are theories.

Previously, I have discussed the roads theory of learning, and much of that theory also applies to memory. It's much more difficult to forget a highway than a country road, though any road that gets ignored will fall into disrepair.

There are many things we know that will decrease the chances of you remembering events from childhood. Second hand smoke (and first hand smoke), drugs, being in an adult centered environment, etc. all hurt your long term memories. Memories that do survive are likely to have a strong emotional connection. This could be a dream vacation, having a tornado rip apart your community, or anything that stimulates your amygdala. Your amygdala and hippocampus are the two parts of the brain most closely associated with memory.

So what can you do to help your child have strong positive memories from childhood? Love them, spend time with them, create moments with a great deal of emotion, and document it with photos, baby books, or a blog. The documentation really only provides a second hand memory and it can be controlled by others, so be careful not to edit too much. You don't want your child to grow up feeling that your photos are faked or leave out the most important parts of their story. Remember, you are a part of their memories - memories centered around them, not around you.