Baby Memories

 In my last post I wrote about Baby Talk, or the limited but profound communication from my grandson. It made me again remember a talk given by Kathleen Norris at North Park Seminary a number of years ago—

And how can I remember that talk? Because of words. She talked about a memory she had and in the midst of clarifying it said that perhaps she might have been below the age of 3, or non-verbal, and when she made this distinction it made me wonder: how do we remember without words. It is when we are able to “name” things that we can begin to remember. I guess before verbalization we can remember in images.

I know one of my earliest memories is laying in my crib and looking up at a light fixture that reminded me of a honey bun, the glass sort of waxy yellow and swirled. But did I actually know it was a honey bun or did I simply want to eat the light fixture?

Another early memory was hearing the milk man truck outside. It must have been early morning—when the milk man arrived with his clackety-clank bottles, to leave a new delivery outside our front door. What I recall is the sound of the motor and while in my crib I made little motor sounds mimicking his truck. Did I know it was the milk man or have a word for it? No. But I do recall the sound numbing my lips as I practiced it over and over. It was only later that I put two and two together to come up with the idea it was the milk man.

How will Jack remember this now? Are we able to retain memories if we cannot name them or attach words to them. I suggest we can in limited ways—by using the senses. But what causes these memories to stay with us long after the others have faded? Perhaps it was my attachment to eating honey buns or the sensation of my lips tingling . . . Not sure.

Once we can hold a conversation, I’ll ask Jack what he remembers about being a baby.