Grown up thinking as a child

Most people have childhood memories. Some can remember more, others less. In general there seems to be a childhood amnesia in all of us apparently because our hypothalamus is not developed yet. See link:

en.wikipedia.org...

I have some very early memories, some from when I learned to walk for example. Those are preverbal memories but I still remember thinking certain thoughts. Such as "I can walk now", "I can make it to the radiator" for example. Now those are easily explained. It is what we felt at the time and later when we were able to put those into speech, our brain just bung them all together and we get a 'false' yet real memory.

The reason I made this thread is for another preverbal memory altogether. I best start by telling you the memory first:

I was probably around 2 years old. Not much older, as I remember where I sat in the kitchen. Our kitchen layout changed after that completely. I remember watching my mum tidying the kitchen and muttering to herself about money problems. Just a general monologue that people seem to do when home alone looking after a kid. It wasn't for me to be understood anyway. But I did. I understood exactly what she was saying and I remember clearly thinking a strange thought that went almost exactly like that:
"I feel really sorry for you and I could say something really grown up to you but I am not allowed to do that yet. I am too young and it would sound strange".

First of all, this memory was remembered BECAUSE of the weird thoughts and not vice versa. It felt very strange to have such clear adult thoughts for starters, but it also felt as if I would be breaching some sort of 'contract' or 'unwritten law' to keep it a secret that small kids can think like that. I remember that I could have tried to speak but that by even trying I would be doing a really bad thing. And frankly I might not have been able to put it into words anyway because I wouldn't have been able to pronounce everything like an adult.

There is one more memory like the one above. It is short. I remember babbling like babies do and at the same time thinking that soon I would be able to speak and I felt a kind of disappointment that I still had to wait for so long [years]. This memory is also very clear.

Now I am sure we could discuss a lot of different explanations for memories like that. From using science all the way to bringing in reincarnations or afterlives etc.
Whilst I find those somehow interesting. That is not what I am after.

Instead I would like to know if anyone else has had a similar experience? I only heard about this once before on another website forum [but I can't find the post at the mo]
Maybe you have a small child yourself and have noticed particularly 'grown-up behaviour' about them or they said something 'too old/wise for their age'? Is there no way to say these things without sounding somewhat dodgy? ;P

I would really love to hear more but mainly from those that had their own preverbal memories with thoughts, if there are any?

I had more childhood weirdness including Chinese ghosts and the two weird 'danger men' that always died in a horrific way...but that may have to wait for another thread if I can be bothered [too tired now].

This is interesting - cos I do have these kind of memories but I never heard anyone else ever speak of them before. One that comes to mind is just after brother was born and my mother put him in the pram and was about to take us out, I remember groaning to myself thinking something along the lines of 'Oh no, I'm gonna have to walk everywhere now and I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet." My brother is just 11 months younger than me. I didn't actually end up having to walk everywhere, it turned out that my Mum had got a seat for me that fitted over the front of the pram.

I have other weird stuff that happened when I was very small, but I'm not sure I want to go into that here except that I also had that knowing that I wasn't supposed to speak about or let on about certain stuff. Thanks for posting this thread and letting me know that I'm not the only one after all.

peace
J

Since this is a memory, and since memories are remembered perceptions that were subjective to begin with, there's no reliable way to know WHEN you created this memory initially. In other words, you can say that you had these thoughts while on the floor as a toddler, and you can believe that you had these thoughts while on the floor as a toddler, but there's no possible way to know whether you actually did have these thoughts while on the floor as a toddler.

All memories develop placement within a person's life, and generally that placement is accurate. That said, once placement has been assigned, it becomes real for the person with that memory, regardless of whether that placement is accurate or not. While most memories come with accurate placement, not all memories do. Some just plain don't, and sometimes that inaccurate placement can make them become pretty significant.

The toddler brain isn't capable of that level of intellectual sophistication. Even gifted children don't possess that level of psychological maturity. They're brilliant, but they're still extremely immature in their thinking. What you describe is the thinking of a fairly average adult mind, and no toddler brain is going to produce that kind of mind.

Just as a curiosity question - If this was your thought process as a toddler, how did it feel to fill your diaper? Wasn't it mortifying to not be allowed to take the paper into the bathroom and take care of things like a normal person? What about when you were sent to kindergarten? Nap time must have seemed like such a waste of a half hour, and how the hell did you deal with those idiot kids and their weird little dramas all day long, day after day?

My point is that the thoughts you claim to have had as a toddler would not have existed in a vacuum. One day would've moved naturally into the next day, and unless someone dropped you on your little head, there would've been no reason for your extremely mature mind to have reverted back to a perception state that's normal for the age of your brain at any point between then and now. You've be well beyond asking any questions about such odd memories on this board if you'd actually been born with a brain capable of an internal dialogue like the one you claim after less than three years of development.

Besides, you'd be asking questions about why you wanted to bang your preschool teacher when you were 4 instead of questions about how you could understand your mom's words when she was talking to herself in the kitchen. You'd be wondering why your entire life hasn't made sense with anything else that's surrounded it since the moment you opened your eyes. Like I said, what you claim to have experienced can't exist in a vacuum. If it were true, and your memory and its placement were accurate, you'd be so far out of sync with the entire planet by now, those memories would be the least of your concern.

Just my own view of the obvious ramifications of what you claim here.

reply to post by NorEaster


Yeah I know. I mentioned in my post that there will be most likely to be explanations that make more sense to those that haven't experienced this for themselves. I also said that whilst it is interesting, that I am not too interested in explanations. I myself studied neurosciences and also psychology, so I am not a noob in this field.
However I am not too sure that these thoughts were made later in the instance I described [heck did you actually read the post and understand it or just jump to conclusions and answered?] that I remember two kinds of memories and that the one in question was

remembered BECAUSE of the thoughts

and not because of what was happening. If you haven't experienced this it would be very easy to explain it away with what we superficially know about brains.
I also would like to add that this lucidness was probably not all the time, even though I do remember having a full nappy once.
I have heard from three people now that experienced this and I do believe them as it feels completely different from other memories.

I put this into paranormal as it is just that at this point in time. I worked with children for a long time and have experienced strange knowledge, understanding of foreign languages etc . As a scientist I need to keep an open mind and by just quoting the 'established' believes we may miss something very interesting.

It all becomes more interesting if you mix quantum physics with neuroscience and add a bit of reincarnation. Now come on if you don't find that interesting you must be in a coma. But thanks and a star for your answer anyway.

reply to post by skjalddis


That sound completely right. You are only the third person I have read about with this. I bet there are more. What interests me is that these memories are so mundane and should normally not be remembered, yet because of the strange thoughts we do remember them.
Thanks for answering and a star.