Your Toddler can Remember
Wikipedia says, “Most people have no memory prior to three years of age, and few memories between three and six years of age, as verified by analysis of the forgetting curve in adults recalling childhood memories.”
But the next time you want to say, “he will not remember this”, stop and think about it.
That crazy, violent argument you had with your partner while your toddler sat in the room, watching? She can remember it. The 18+ movie you decided you could watch while your toddler stared blankly at the screen? They can remember. Stop saying things like, “he’s only a child, he won’t be able to put it together.”
I believe some memories just decide to stick. I have only two toddler memories and one of them is crazier than the other.
I was only 3 years old and I had just had a meal with soup trickling down my elbow at my mum’s friend’s house. Her maid was washing the dishes at the backyard so I took my plate to her. Sparky, their dog rushed at me and knocked the plate off my hands. He also gave me two deep scratches close to my wrist because he tried to lick the soup off my hand. I still have the glistening scars like a number 11 tattoo gone wrong.
Now, the second memory might be quite alarming. I’m not sure where my mum or her friend was but I was home alone with her friend’s teenage kids and adult siblings. We were all watching a late night movie. Whatever was happening on the screen didn’t interest me the slightest until I heard one of the adult sibling say, “Shey we no go wait make this baby sleep?”
Sleep? SLEEEEP??? I might have been sleepy but the word ‘sleep’ definitely knocked the sleep off my eyes. Why would they want me to sleep? What was happening?
“Leave am,” the other adult sibling answered. ” She no go know wetin she dey watch.” GREAT.
So I decided to watch with ‘understanding’. A man wearing a hat was forcing two naked women to go down on him. One of the woman dug her teeth into his man bits and a chase started. THE END.
My most vivid Toddler Memory: Italian Porn. How wonderful.
I have replayed that image in my head for 26 years, and I’m sure it 100% had everything to do with my teenage addiction to pornography and masturbation. I’m replaying it even as I write this . I guess I’ll be needing therapy to get it out completely.
Just remember, your toddler can remember. Try to fill her memory bank with good memories, you never know which will stick. Also, be mindful and careful of who you leave your child with. If you have been doing the wrong things because your toddler will not remember, I suggest you start bombarding them with better memories now.
