How old?

I don’t feel like I’ve forgotten more and more. It’s more like I have only ever had a few memories from being a little kid.

Sense of self gets deeper, not lost. All those years of experience add up to more self, not less. I was, though, for sure more self-centered when young, less aware of others, more selfish.

I’m an old fucker and can remember my earliest memories still. You have to do it though, because memories become less clear over time if unused. Unfortunately, we spend less time recalling memories because of our current over-stimulation in this entertainment rich world. Most of us do not let ourselves be bored (almost ever) now.

Tonight I played a game I hadn’t played since the early 90’s and just the graphics and sounds really brought back nostalgic feelings.

I remember bits and pieces from my childhood. I think most of the memories are there, it just requires something to trigger the memory to load. Like a name or a place etc. (Sometimes watching nostalgia videos can help haha.)

Like I still remember my teachers names and how friendly or strict they used to be. And I also remember some friends and drama. And Video games are also a big core memory for me haha.

In general, I think we all have memory of our childhood. We just need help to trigger our brains to remember. And if we can’t find the trigger, we end up forgetting. Like installing a program on your PC but then deleting the shortcut to it.

44 and can remember lots about what I did as a 3-4 year old including first day at kindy and school, Christmases etc. phone numbers, birthdays, dates and everything. Can recall much of my time throughout my teens and 20s too.

Don’t ask me what I did last weekend though. Time goes much faster as you get older (perceptively) and I don’t feel different but know I’m getting older because I’m watching my kids grow up into (mostly) functional humans. Often I’m shocked it’s the weekend again.

I can hardly remember anything before 16. Not sure if thats normal. I remember certain things if theyre triggered by a photo or a song etc but I cant remember what I was doing on x year.

I’ve lost a lot of my memories, but can remember the general vibe. There are a handful of crystal clear memories though. I’m only mid-30s though

You can lose your older memories without losing your sense of self. That’s based more on recent experiences than early childhood anyway.

I’m 56 and find that my long term memory is sometimes better than my short term memory.

The way memory works, your brain constructs the memory based on stuff from the last time you thought about it, mixed with other random shit.

You’re never remembering “the” event. You’re retelling yourself a story like a game of telephone. The past is gone.

I don’t and I’m 30. Almost anything before the age of 7 and quite little between 7 and 14.

But AFAIK most people do remember quite some stuff from their childhood for the rest of their life. And forget some of course. I guess it varies.

I spent a lot of time with my grandfather in his final days, and he was hitting me with stories from when he was like 4-on. A lot of good memories and a lot of bad memories.

I’m 31 and remember a ton from my childhood. Which makes sense bc I have to remind myself that I’m a grown man and not a kid in social situations all the time. (like when I have to go to my child’s school and my brain flips where I’m overly respectful to the teachers and almost raise my hand to speak to them)

My wife had a rough childhood and can barely remember anything from those years due to mental blocks I guess.

Tldr idk it depends I guess

I’m almost 50 and I remember a lot of my childhood. I remember riding in a car with my mother down the main street in town and not being able to read signs. So like 1983-84. I remember a bunch of other things from that far back. Sights, sounds, feelings. More the later you go. A lot of the late 80s and beyond.

You start your life by forgetting your past. All the times you fell over, were hungry or overtired, or shat your pants as a baby or toddler. You don’t remember that time unless something happened that’s traumatizing in the extreme. Somewhere between that age and when you start school you start retaining memories. Not all of them but enough to reminisce. You’re growing still so every day is a new experience and not everything makes the cut. And then you age. Once you cross 40 you’ll notice a lot more that you cannot remember why you went to the garage but you can remember all the teachers from your elementary school days. Most of your classmates too but that guy’s name in Accounting who you talk to every other day is nowhere to be found. And when you reach an age where death is becoming likely every day, you reminisce and you remember lots of stuff from ages ago but not what you had for breakfast. Dementia fucks with you but they remember their moody teenage music tastes and react more to that than their own offspring.

Memory retention is not a linear thing.

Keep your memories by recalling them frequently. Every time you remember something, you make a new copy in your brain. Recalling memories is like making a backup. I’m 45 and I still remember things from as early as 3. I remember the feeling of the orange shag carpet in the house I grew up on my toes. I remember going down a waterslide on my uncle’s lap and my cousin teaching me how to ride a bike. I remember the feeling of bass in my stomach when the marching band practiced across the street. Keep recalling your memories.

Like usual with us humans and our fickle minds, YMMV.

There are many factors that can impact this, though I would clarify - you aren’t losing memories, they’re there, just harder to access. You aren’t losing your sense of self, it’s evolving - who you are as a person is constantly changing.

For me personally, as someone with aphantasia I’ve never really been in touch with my memories in the first place. I’ve been very much a “in the moment” person - despite that my past experiences do define me, even if I don’t know why.