How much does your child remember?
This morning Luke was asking me if I remembered what kind of a snack he ate one day while watching the Backyardigans. I guessed wrong, and he reminded me that one day he watched the soccer monster on the Backyardigans and ate a Rice Krispie Treat. This child truly remembers everything! First of all, I haven't bought Rice Krispie Treats in months, and second, he remembers exactly what episode he was watching when this happened!
He does this often, he will ask us if we remember certain things, and I'm always amazed at the detail he remembers about stuff that happened such a long time ago. Luke is our oldest, he's almost 4, so I don't have other kids to compare him to. Do your kids have such sharp memories? It seems so odd to me also because I was just reading somewhere last night about how forgetful kids are and how their memory isn't really that keen yet.
Another example - when Luke was 12 months old, we took a class at Little Gym with a friend and her son. After one of the classes, we went out to lunch with them, and my friends son was eating Gerber Puffs. So last week, nearly 3 years later, Lukes says "mommy, remember we ate lunch with Max, but not the Max from Max & Ruby, but your friends boy Max, and he was eating some puffs and shared them with me?" I said "HUH?, you remember that????" He was only 12 months old! Funny thing is, I do remember eating lunch, and they brought puffs and they shared them with Luke, I was just shocked that he remembered something like this almost 3 years later from when he was just 1 year old! I know that is the time he is referring to because we haven't eaten lunch out with them since then, not with Max anyway.
I'm certain that Luke's intelligence is right where it should be for his age, but I've always gotten the wierd feeling when I talk to him that his memory about past events/details is above. I just can't imagine that he can really remember things from when he was a baby, but I think he does because I know exactly what he's talking about!
Do most kids have this kind of memory for detail?
funny!
I have a niece who is now 8 years old and her memory is crazy! When she was only about 3 or 4 I took her to meet my mom for lunch and she remembers that I gave her some candy and she threw them up in my car and she remembered she had her overalls on! She brings up that story often and I think its so funny how she remembers it so cleary like it happened yesterday! She does this all the time and we are always so amazed at her detail of what she remembers :-)
Especially food related memories!
Both of my kids remember a lot of off the wall things like that, and so many of them are tied to food we ate or what table we sat at the last time we went to a restaurant over 2 years ago... It is always funny when they say those things because I would never remember it on my own but when they say it, then I can usually recognize that it did happen as they remembered. HOWEVER... they cannot remember when I say pick up your shoes and take them to your room or hang up your coat etc. When I ask why they haven't done it, it is always "oh I forgot". It is obviously selective memories!
IT's crazy
My oldest daughter also has a very vivid memory, which is sometimes down right scary! Like your Luke, she at a very young age could recall details, that would just blow me away. Many of them were of places we went and what we did, ate, and who we were with. Fortunately, she helps me with things I can't remember, and unfortunately, she also "forgets" when I ask if she did her chores, brushed her teeth, etc. It's now definitely "selective" :)