My earliest memory was when I was very little. My guess would be that I was under the age of two.
I remember crying and crying and wanting to be picked up and my Mom was horribly angry. She for some reason would not pick me up and let me lay and cry. I remember her getting angrier and angrier. I do not have vivid memories of this event, I just remember vaguely and have never forgotten it.

The next memory was another bad one. My Mom burned me accidentally with her cigarette and the family was yelling at her to see if I was ok. My Mom got angry wiped my shoulder quickly and said, she is fine. I can not recall if i was crying or just sad, but I remember wondering why she was so upset. I just wanted her to pick me up and hug me.

It makes me sad to write two negative events about my Mom. She was not there for me as a child, mentally or even physically. But as an adult I realized how abused she was as a child. I began to understand where she came from. Funny enough, when I became an adult she changed a bit for the better. It almost seemed like she was learning from me. Mom is now housed at a specialized nursing home. I tried having her live here but I could not physically or mentally take care of her needs. She has severe Bipolar and Dementia. I cry often at how sad her life was. I am here emotionally for her everyday. I have not turned my back on her once. She has "habits" and one is to call me at 4:30 am every morning. The nurses asked if they should put a stop to it and I said no. If it gives her pleasure, so be it.

Since I became an adult I realized Mom had it alot harder than I did. I can not even imagine some of the things she has gone through with abuse. I am glad to show her love and I am so pleased she is learning love as well. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2498711068_c83c309133_t.jpg

I was three when they took my tonsils out. I remember lying on the cold metal operating table with all the doctors and nurses around me in green scrub gowns. They had masks on their faces and gloves on their hands. I wasn't afraid. Mommy had told me I would soon fall asleep. Sure enough, someone said, "Remove the pillow now." As they lowered my head to the table from off the pillow I quickly zonked out.

When I woke up in my hospital bed I remembered Mommy had promised I could eat all the ice cream I wanted, after the operation. I asked, "Can I have ice cream now?" I don't know why, but the nurse wouldn't let me have any ice cream. :(

My earliest memory was being in South Side hospital Long Island NY, it was about 1963 or ‘64. I was about 3 I guess. I was very sick and I was my mom and dad standing by me. The doctor said to my parents ‘you have to go now so we can get started”, and I remember saying, “go, so they can get started’ they took off my sundress. I was sunburned a little and they put me in this very cool hospital gown and laid me on a gurney. Then they put a sheet on me and started wheeling me down a hallway. I was looking up and watched as the overhead lights passed one by one. Mom and dad walked by my side. Then they pushed the gurney into a doorway that had letters on it. Everyone who came in had to wear a gown and some wore a mask. I remember cool water sponge baths and constant temperatures, and a headache. The young nurse who took care of me was really nice. \She was more like a big sister than a nurse. She even ate jello with me.

My very earliest childhood memory was having a vacation in my grandparents place. I was 4 years old I guess at that time and my parent left me there for a few months. I was very happy because their house is near the beach and I get to swim and play on the beach most of the time.
My uncle who is single has a small fishing boat and every morning he tried to tie the fish rope around several coconut tress, and there were some hooks that dangles on them. I was near one when he said that I should not play near them for it is not safe. When I jumped to move away from that place my left cheek got caught in one of the hooks. My grandparents run towards me with my uncle and they took almost a lifetime to get my cheek off that hook.
I did not remember crying or feeling any pain. What I can remember are the boatload of fishes they caught later in the afternoon after that incident.

I have a clear memory of throwing a tantrum in my grandmother’s bedroom and my mother’s then-boyfriend grabbing me up, swinging me over his shoulder, delivering a swift slap to my behind, and setting me down on my grandmother’s armoire before telling me to “cut it out”. Since my mother began dating the man who later became my stepdad some time thereafter when I was 2 years old, I think this incident must have happened when I was approximately 18 to 24 months old. I don’t have any other clear memories that stem from this time or times before that even. However, I have plenty of happy childhood memories that span my years from about 3 years to 5 years of age. These include getting my first cat to take care of at age 3, feeding stray cats in a park in Italy at age 4, and taking a month-long vacation to Hawaii at age 5.

Here I was living in this warm watery World and all of a sudden it was gone and I was being evicted. lol I guess I can remember being really young and playing catch with my Father. We lived not to far from Yankee Stadium and everyone there was going to grow up to play ball. I can remember going to the Stadium befroe I even started school and seeing Joe Peppitone.

I am not sure what my earliest childhood memory is simply because I have been told stories of instances so many times that perhaps I am just recreating that in my mind, or maybe I really do vaguely recall some of those instances. In any event, these are the two moments that I am referring to.

When I was 18 months old, my brother was chasing me around the room when I tripped, fell and hit my chin against the floor, splitting it open. I believe I recall screaming for my mom while the doctors were trying to stitch up my chin.

Another moment, a more pleasant one that I recall was when I was nearly two years old. I was sitting on a chair and my brother, around five years old at the time, piled all the toys he could find on the chair until only my shoulders and face were showing. I remember laughing while he was doing this and there is a picture of this incident as well.

http://www.farmington.k12.mi.us/district/ecc/earlychildhood.jpg