Your earliest memory that had an effect on you.

[Tizeye]

As a variation of the other thread of someone who influenced you, what early memory of an event had an effect on you? As I noted in the other thread, I never knew my father as he died when I was three. I have seen pictures, but I was too young to remember the trip to the beach or even the truck he owned and going fishing with him. Rather, at the time of his death, vaguely remember taking a bus to Fire Station#1 and his co-workers putting me in the firetruck as my mother took care of decedent paperwork in personnel. But what I remember more was a trip to an auditorium with big TV cameras on Jerry Lewis telethon, with my younger sister and I on stage and Jerry noting  "These poor kids their father just died of polio. Give money to fight this terrible disease" Salk discovered the polio vaccine a year later (and March of Dimes changed their focus to Muscular Dystrophy as we know them today). But what stood out as a memory was when I returned home. With the lack of knowledge of polio - particularly the aggressive strain my father died of within 24 hours - there was mass hysteria in the entire town of Jacksonville. The Health Department quarantined us, so I (we) were restricted to the house and yard which at 3 y/o is hard to comprehend when haven't done anything bad. That still effects me today as I am quick to recognize mass histrionic overreaction and the parade of horrible they cite. Classic were issues like floridation in water - remember that is the 70's, and the list goes on

[KrAzY]

The earliest memory I remember is sitting in the back seat of my parents Camaro looking out the windows. The snow drifts on the side of the road wear crazy tall. It was the winter of '78 in Ohio. I was 3 years old.

The memory that hit me the hardest I still remember was when I was 9 y/o and my dad and I were on a way to a baseball game I was playing in. A accident happened and his raido for the FD went off.. game was postponed because half the players dad's were part of the FD. We all went to the scene and my dad and I were the first ones there. I got to see a car wrapped around a tree and two dead bodies. After that I was not sad, I still remember the whole thing, And it made me want to help out. Right after highschool I became a firefighter, became the youngest lieutenant at the age 20 (still hold the record to this day)

My wife still laughs because I ha e not been a FF for many years, but I am always the first to stop or help someone out. 

[The_Karen_Cooper_Incident]

I trust most of you.  But I wouldn't open myself up publicly, by telling you my first memories as a child. 

These early event(s) are the reason why I plunge into deep gaps of depression once in awhile.   They where terrifying and dreadful. 

Couch 

[Prophet Zacharia]

Not my first memories, but one that affected me throughout childhood: We moved from Columbus to our house in what is now a Philadelphia suburb, but at the time was still fully rural. A colonial-era town a few miles down the road, but acres of trees and farm land, as housing developments were just starting to sprout in the area. Dense woods were across the road from our house. I was 5.

I was told by neighbor kids that while our house was vacant, someone lived in the attached garage. Creepy image alone for five year old, but that next summer a neighbor girl reported a naked man with a knife had jumped out of the woods and tried to grab her as she walked her dog. We spend the rest of the summer sitting on the corner, calling into the woods “naked man, naked man, come out come out wherever you are”, obviously terrified that he would. The guy was never found by Police, and I’ve later questioned in my own mind what really happened and what was story telling by kids and fear mongering by parents, but I spent much of my youth fearful of what may be in those woods across the street from my house.

[maddmaxx ★]

The earliest memory I can dredge up (it was a long time ago) was of the first house my father built.  There was a stairway up from the lower level that had an outside wall made up of glass blocks.  I remember those blocks well.  Since this was in the 1940's and I was born in 46, I must have been very young and the family must have been very impressed by those blocks for me to remember.  I can recall no other memories after that till we were building the 3rd home which had to be at least 3 years later.  At that point I begin to remember fragments of the trips around the country that encompassed every state but Hawaii and every Canadian province.

[JerrySTL ★]

It's one of my earliest memories. My Dad was rebuilding the carburetor on his Hudson in the basement. I was about 3-4 YO at the time. I found it fascinating. No wonder I became a mechanic

[MickinMD ★]

The earliest memory that had an effect on the path I took in life was looking through the homemade 6" Newtonian telescope an uncle had made for me when I was 6. I got so involved with it and science that by the time I was in 2nd grade my teacher, Sister Damaris, nicknamed me "Mars."  By the time I was 12 I announced to my parents and relatives I wanted to be a chemist.  When I got my first chemistry degree at age 22 and had a scholarship and teaching assistantship to graduate school awaiting me at IIT in Chicago, my father said how remarkable it was that I had found my calling so young.  That telescope had a lot to do with it.

In my 30's, I ground/polished/figured an 8" Newtonian mirror for another homemade telescope which I proudly showed-off to the uncle who had built the 6" one for me when he visited from out of state.  Since then, I've made a 12.5" mirror and a Dobsonian mount to hold it.  With it I can see dust storms on Mars, the planet that nun associated with me over 60 years ago!

[petitepedal ★]

I think I fall bbn in the same category as @Couch_Incident

[Kzoo]

My earliest memory is early summer before I turned 3 yo (later in August).  My dad came home from work with a small baseball glove for me and we went out in the yard so he could show be how to catch and throw.  It was the start of a long love for the game that he and my mom already shared.

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

I was four, and we lived in Bel Air, MD, just north of Baltimore. The kid across the street was my age and we were best friends. His name was Matthew Valley. One day, a moving/delivery van was in the neighborhood and the rear door was open. We climbed inside. The truck started and drove off before we could get out. Someone spotted two kids in the back of a truck and called the cops. We made it about 12 miles from home. I don't remember getting a licking for it, probably did. But I remember the event and the neighbor's name 55 years later. ?

[12string]

I have no recollections as a child.  I never found out exactly what happened, but I suffered from some sort of memory loss until early adulthood.  I know nothing of my past, so I suppose my earliest recollections would have to be when I was roused from this stupor by the sound of children calling to me, something about "naked man, come out".  I still don't know why I was holding that knife.

[petitepedal ★]

I have some fond memories..just some of them are kinda depressing. I didn't know we were poor..but we were..plus other weird family stuff

[shotgun]

I remember having to go potty and my mom was on the phone. I couldn't get her attention soon enough and I wet my pants in her room. I still don't like it when my mom is on the phone, but only when I'm on the other end.

[Randomguy]

I remember killing a man for eating too loudly. Totally justified. 

[Scrapr ★]

26 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

I remember killing a man for eating too loudly. Totally justified. 

I presume this was in Reno. Were you wearing black?

[Prophet Zacharia]

3 hours ago, 12string said:

I have no recollections as a child.  I never found out exactly what happened, but I suffered from some sort of memory loss until early adulthood.  I know nothing of my past, so I suppose my earliest recollections would have to be when I was roused from this stupor by the sound of children calling to me, something about "naked man, come out".  I still don't know why I was holding that knife.

I hope you enjoyed the garage life style while it lasted.

[shootingstar]

During lst wk. of kindergarten after school, I walked home..which was normal decades ago.  2 boys near my age trailed me and 1 of them yelled "Jap" and threw stones at me and tried to trip me.  I was terrified and nearly cried.  I was frozen in fear because I wanted harassing boys to go away.  I didn't tell my parents, because I knew they would worry about me.  I didn't understand what the term "Jap" meant.   All I knew was that I was Chinese.  I didn't learn until I was 17 yrs. old about the relocation/internment of the Japanese-Canadians (and Japanese-Americans) during WW II, that might explained this racist garbage flung at a child.

I didn't learn of that history....because I learned British history lst before Canadian history. Then the school curriculum changed to Canadian history as a priority for students. Another reason to learn mistakes in history...and make every attempt not to repeat mistake in future.

I entered into kindergarten not knowing English at all, even though born and raised in Canada.  It was horrible and please don't ever say words don't matter. They do.  Name calling and perjorative use of words.  It frightens/bewilders children, reminds them later, whenever incidents occur as adult etc.  A person never forgets.  That means the child who called me a Jap...one could trace it back, as learned it from an adult. 

I had periodic nightmares for the next few months.  It wasn't until gr. 1, another boy in my class told me it was ok.  That I could walk home unharrassed since previously I tried to vary my route to avoid that street.

This incident plus several others in life later,... 

[Dottleshead ★]

Learning how to masturbate in the bath tub with soap.  What joy.

[Further]

First memory :  Very young, less than 2, we lived in an upstairs apartment, I wasn't allowed to wear shoes because I made too much noise in the downstairs apartment. 

I had a Rolly-Polly punching bag ( inflatable with a weighted bottom ) the big kids from downstairs came upstairs to play & popped my Rolly-Polly. I threw a major shit fit.

Second memory: 2 years old, we were moving from the city to the suburbs, going to look at an apartment. I was lectured sternly to be on my best behavior. I have a vivid memory of sitting on the kitchen counter, kicking my heels against the cupboard door below the counter, something was said, I don't remember what. But I grew up in that apartment so I guess I didn't blow the deal.  

[sheep_herder ★]

Earliest memory that had a real effect on me was my high school civics and home room teacher telling me about his friend that attended Colorado State University and thinking that I might enjoy going to college at that school.  He recognized my love for nature and the outdoors and knew CSU had a good forest/range/wildlife program.  This is a teacher that had warmed my bottom many times with a wooden paddle for misbehaving.  Oh, I could say that the time I called my sister an SOB and was paddled had a great effect on me, but truth is I still curse too much today, so it really did not have much of an effect.

[Dottleshead ★]

1 hour ago, sheep_herder said:

Earliest memory that had a real effect on me was my high school civics and home room teacher telling me about his friend that attended Colorado State University and thinking that I might enjoy going to college at that school.  He recognized my love for nature and the outdoors and knew CSU had a good forest/range/wildlife program.  This is a teacher that had warmed my bottom many times with a wooden paddle for misbehaving.  Oh, I could say that the time I called my sister an SOB and was paddled had a great effect on me, but truth is I still curse too much today, so it really did not have much of an effect.

The more I read about you, sheep, the more I like you.

[Dirtyhip]

My Father in the street, as I looked out the window at him from inside my grandparents home.  That was the last time I saw him.

I was about a year old.

[BR46]

With all of the cancer sucks trends got me thinking. 

The one memory that opened my eyes about  life and death was when I was 13 years old. 

After a year and a half battle with cancer my father called my brother and sisters and I up to the hospital. He said his good byes to all of us and said today I will probably die. About 5 or 6 hours later I was over by the neighbors house when my friends mom said that it was time for me to go home. I knew at that point him battle with cancer was over.

I look at life from the view point of we are only here for a short period of time so go have fun now for tomorrow might not be here. 

So everyday I like to make someone laugh.