Following on from my post yesterday – I was overcome with curiosity about what had my parents done that first night we were in our new house. Today I asked my 85-year-old mother.
“No. I think you’ve got it wrong Irene. I can’t remember going out and buying beds for you.”
“We did. Remember we both got beds with the bookcase in the bed-head and I had the pink mattress and my brother the blue one.”
“I remember the beds but we got them much later. You’re memory isn’t right.”
That was the conversation before we went and had lunch. Several hours later, when walking the dog, I received a phone call.
“You were right Irene. I’ve looked up the account book. We did buy beds. They cost 36 pounds and I found that we sold furniture on the ‘in’ side before leaving Tamworth. We got 72 pounds for it.”
“What about your bed?”
“Our bed came with the furniture. We had bought a suite in Tamworth and it definitely came with us”
So my parents stringent accounting records proved to be worthwhile and came to the rescue – My parents didn’t have to sleep on the floor and my three (nearly 4) year old memory was pretty spot on.
Related articles
- The Spare Room (irenewaters19.com)
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
It is pretty amazing you can remember something from such a young age.
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Yes. My earliest memories are in my threes but seem to be related to something a bit traumatic. This was my first non traumatic memory – or perhaps not having my own bed was?
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I’m enjoying your blog. Isn’t it fun to visit with the older members of our family about our shared histories? I’m really impressed with your mom. She sounds like one organized lady to have had records from way back when.
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I’m glad you are enjoying my blog Pamela. I have really enjoyed doing it. I love the memories that come out and as you say, visiting with family and resharing of history, finding the differences in those memories and learning about histories that you played no part in but make you who you are. My Mun certainly is an organised, switched on lady. She puts me to shame.
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Amazing on both accounts (pun intended)! 🙂
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🙂 Yes it is. My parents accounting system is a great social record. I can remember them telling me how much they were saving when I left home and I know it wasn’t guess work.
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Reblogged this on Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) and commented:
Throwback Thursday I am reposting the post the post that followed last weeks Spare Room.
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I love this Irene. We were discussing the age of beginning memory just today. One man remembered things strongly at 3 1/2, so you are spot on at 4. I have fleeting spots of memory before the ago of 4, but nothing strong.
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Memory is a strange thing. My husband doesn’t have any early memories at all and someone else I know declares thy remember being a baby in the cot. I think the early memories really are things that had a large impact on you. Probably things that shaped your personality into the future.
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Amazing, Irene. I do think my first memories of any sort come from sometime between ages 3-4. Of course I had some help later when I saw photos!
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I have a few that nobody thought were worth talking about so I know they were true memories, others I think were possibly shaped by photos and family tales. I know my first real memory was before 3 but it is not until I was four that I have lots of memories.
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My earliest memory is of skipping around the dining-room table singing “Tomorrow I shall be SIX !”. You musta been precocious. 🙂
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Yes I must have been. I can just see you skipping. Roger says he doesn’t have any memories until he was around 8 and they are scant.
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That’s my sole one until I was around 9 !
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I have to stop thinking about this. It is bringing out the researcher in me and I simply don’t have the time at the moment, but it is fascinating.
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Note To File (Irene, this is): Must Do Something About Earliest Memories (At Some Stage) [grin]
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It’s in the file.
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This is fasciinating once again, this old business of memory and how differently we view things. Having those accounts to hand came in very handy…and how great was/is your memory? Glad you stuck to your guns 🙂
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Yes it is a good example of how what is important enough to remember for one is totally forgettable for another. 🙂
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