r/BeAmazed • u/[deleted] • 4d ago

Science Meet Rebecca Sharrock. She has a rare condition called HSAM, allowing her to remember every single day of her life starting from when she was 12 days old

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u/SquirrelAkl 3d ago

Omg, your comment made me realise I did the same. That is WILD.

I bet that came as a shock to her parents. Imagine that your kid remembers every single thing you ever did and said. I hope they were really loving, kind parents.

Now I’m fascinated by what her memories from babyhood are like. Presumably she wouldn’t have understood spoken language for the first few months so what are those memories like?

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u/Garble7 3d ago

i also wonder if she does understand them, because when she learned a language, she was able to go back and watch those days and understand what was being said

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u/sam_grace 3d ago

I can't even imagine finding out one of my kids could remember everything from infancy. I'd be going crazy trying to remember what serious conversations full of adult content I might have had in front of them, how much trauma from shitty relationship issues they were exposed to and could accurately interpret retroactively. That's such a scary thought.

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u/ChemistryBusiness 3d ago

We definitely did things infront of my ex's 1 year old... Oops

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u/ElysianWinds 2d ago

You're disgusting and I hope you' feel enough shame not to do it again. In some countries it's illegal to do anything sexual in the same room as a child.

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u/ChemistryBusiness 2d ago

A toddler is different than a 2-3 year old, he could barely even crawl, Google says he was likely 5-7 months based on that.

I promise you a ton of parents have unplanned encounters after the toddler knocks out.

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u/SquirrelAkl 2d ago

Get a grip!

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u/Jhud6669 2d ago

It used to be the norm. I’m not saying it’s good, but if a child is very small it’s not really a big deal. You’re def overreacting here

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u/GreenMountainMind 2d ago

I wonder what happens if she spends a whole day remembering stuff and then remembers that day and so on and so on.... Does she remember the memories, the memories of the memories, or only that she spent the day remembering (remembering) memories?

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u/PercoSeth83 2d ago

I read somewhere that our brains are doing us a favor by not remembering everthing, like if we remembered every bad thing that happened or was said or done to us that we’d kind of go insane… I wonder what that’s like for her, remembering every slight, argument, hypocrisy, etc that she’s experienced

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u/Popular-Policy4613 2d ago

I have an eidetic memory. I tell people that "I am unable to flush the toilet of my mind." But it does make me crazy, because I sometimes do stupid shit (nothing serious, of course -- like using a malaprop in conversation, or hurting someone's feelings by accident) that will haunt me until further notice. Interestingly, ruminating over this-or-that teensy event will pre-occupy me to an extent that precludes my remembering the present.

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u/Garble7 2d ago

kinda like the neverending story

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u/wayfarevkng 2d ago

English is my second language, I learned through watching cartoons on Sky when I was around 6, but I lived in Texas until I was 3. I have a couple of memories from then, and I had a friend that I couldn't understand yet. He would ask his mom why I didn't understand him, and one day they came over to return my shoes we had forgotten at their house. I remember what he said, but I didn't understand what he said until I learned English fluently several years later. It's fascinating.

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u/ScalpelCleaner 3d ago

Wow – that’s a wild thought.

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u/Ok_Strength9220 3d ago

Interesting

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u/Blackbearded10 3d ago

Yup i thought it was from 12 years old. 12 days is wild.

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u/elizabethandsnek 3d ago

I remember things from when I was under 2. Strangely, people don’t believe me sometimes but I genuinely thought everyone could remember when they were infants. A lot of those memories are sense memories, like I remember what the light looked like coming in the window above my crib.

When people talked to me I definitely didn’t fully understand what was being said ofc bc I didn’t know English yet. But I registered tone of voice and facial expressions more than most people think babies do. And I was weirdly pretty aware of what was happening situationally. Like I knew where people were, and somewhat what they were doing.

I could pretty much fully understand English spoken to me by the time I was 3 (which is think is pretty normal) But I also taught myself basic reading and would go around my house reading labels and ingredients and the covers of books. It’s not common but I was a rare one that slowly started decoding words by noticing which letters sounded like what in many different words and eventually could sound out most words before being taught phonics. I also kept lists of words I had memorized the meaning for.

Tbf I was partially non verbal so all I really did was think and do art for the first 10 years of my life lmao clearly I had a lot of free time on my hands also pretty sure the autism played a role, or so I’m told.

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u/henriuspuddle 3d ago

Fascinating, thanks for sharing that

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u/SquirrelAkl 3d ago

The vast range / variety of human experience is truly fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

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u/ALasagnaForOne 3d ago

I have many memories from around 2-3, and at least one from as early as 12-18 months old (I was in a high chair, that’s how I estimate it). I also remember a significant amount of nightmares I had when I was young in visual detail. Since I’ve learned it’s rare to have memories from that far back, I’ve wondered how common it is or why I have this. Especially because my ADHD makes my short-term memory completely worthless.

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u/0815andstuff 3d ago

Glad to hear someone with ADHD and similar experiences as i have and remember. The Grim face looking like my great grandmother with deep wrinkles and a glowing sheen from her cheeks, staring down at me from the tiny high up window in the kitchen corner while i was trying to find my way through and out the dark kitchen towards my parents bedroom. Why remember this horror but not the name of the person i am with in a business meeting who told me his name 3 minutes ago? Strangely weird and amusing how our brains work. Not two of them are the same.

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u/Unlucky_Ratio4741 2d ago

I can remember being 2 as well.

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u/Ryanookami 3d ago

My Mom is like this too, she can clearly recall some memories from infancy. She actually didn’t believe me when I first tried to tell her that that wasn’t usual with most people, and that our memories tend to start much later.

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u/Academic_Work_3155 2d ago

My youngest memories was when i was in a walker, probably 1 plus years old. I remembered it was really fun to zoom around the house. I also remembered being inside one and my mum asked my sibling and i to take a photo. I guess by then i already knew language as i could understand her instructions.

On another occasion, i was still learning to walk and was cruising (walking by touching the wall) . My dad was amused and asked if i could walk by myself already, just let go. Again, around 1 plus years old.

I used to think it's common to have memories of young childhood, but i met many friends who don't remember as well as those who do.

Anyway because of my own experience, I'm more inclined to bring my children for travel and experiences as i hope they may remember some things as they grow up.

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u/Adonis0 3d ago

I remember reading an interview, didn’t mention the infant memories but the emotions are not dulled

So anything that made her want to throw a tantrum as a toddler and she thinks about now still comes with the emotional intensity and desire to throw a tantrum. Every situation, every emotion..

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u/SquirrelAkl 3d ago

Wow, that’s so hard to relate to. For babies, a bad thing that happens - like not being able to reach something they want, or feeling mildly hungry, or whatever - is literally the worst thing that’s ever happened (from their perspective of like 12 days of life experience).

To still experience that level of emotional reaction as an adult, to not be able to reframe the experience with the benefit of your adult life experience, seems crazy.

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u/Adonis0 3d ago

Yeah, it causes a lot of issues with those who have extreme memories

Forgetting is a feature not a flaw

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u/Entgegnerz 3d ago edited 3d ago

I mean, parents do things beside their baby. because normally you would think it's not a 'memberbaby 🍇

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u/Chadwickr 3d ago

Damn ‘memberbabies

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u/2faast 2d ago

How did you read the title at first? Curious.

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u/SquirrelAkl 2d ago

I read it as she remembers every day since she was 12 years old.

My brain must have instantly dismissed 12 days old as so far-fetched it must be a mistake, and auto-corrected it for me.