A Child’s Memory

Jim Gossweiler   -  

One of the most amazing and perplexing things I noticed about my children growing into adulthood is not only what events they remember but their perception of events. In brief, and in most instances, our children will remember events in their own way…not in our way. And when this happens, the recollective disparities can be well…huge.

So how can we manage or at least understand this phenomenon?

Human beings seem to have two recollection systems…one mildly faulty one for facts and one spot-on accurate one for feelings. I’m not sure how or why it’s so, but it’s so.

For example, think back to a childhood event of yours and notice you may not remember simple facts such as the date, the day of week, the weather and the like that would have been obvious and apparent at the time. Now remember how the event made you feel:

Happy?

Sad?

Hurt?

No lapses in memory there, are there. This is how a child’s mind works and even more so than an adult mind.

So where do we go from here?

Armed with this understanding, we can adopt a heightened sensitivity and mindfulness about how our children’s minds are experiencing, recording, perceiving and storing events for future recollection.

In Scripture, God reminds us that we all have our own thoughts: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 58:8-9).

Stop. Take note. Is there a child nearby? How will they remember what is happening?

You can make a difference!

JG