What do you remember?

[fox1950]

I remember a lot of things that happened to me at a young age. But I have always wondered, had I been abducted, before I was 6 or 7 years old, would I have remembered my name or where I lived, or would I just have had memories with no solid evidence (such as my name, my parents names, where I lived, etc) to go on if I were trying to find out who I was/am.

 

[InterestedNHelping]

I am the same age as Anna, and my memories surprised me, because I thought I could not remember before 5 years, but I do.I remember standing in my crib, watching my mother iron dad's shirts. I remember being 5 very well, going to school, I was a relatively smart (not to toot my own horn) kid, most likely like Anna, and I was allowed to go to a gifted program, once a week, where we did fun stuff at another school. I was bussed like Anna, away from my bay area canyon home, I remember my older siblings and kids on the bus. I also had a serious medical problem and nearly died at that age, so of course, I remember all of that, as I missed most of my kindergarten year. It is not a thing that leaves us, even with traumatic experiences, we have these subtle things in our hearts, and don't worry, Anna still has them inside her, I can guarantee that much.

 

[Cubby]

I agree INH. It's quite possible Anna has confusing or puzzling childhood memories. Anything that can't be confirmed via someone telling her that event really happened. I have a few childhood memories I have asked a parent about and they have no memory of that event happening. Not having confirmation of those particular childhood memories has left me wondering if they are something that really happened and neither of my parents remember or were they a bad dream that has just stuck with me all these years. In either case the memories still seem very real to me and have stuck with me for 35 plus years. I would guess Anna may question some of her unconfirmed puzzling or confusing childhood memories the same way, wondering if they really happened or if they are a dream which has stuck with her for so many years.

She may have also received minimal confirmation on events having actually happened that she asked or talked about as she grew older. This is pure speculation, but perhaps whoever took her was vague in their confirmation by faking "shared" memories through listening and simply repeating back to Anna what she had already shared. I can imagine someone attempting to do that in order to make Anna believe they both shared those memories.

 

[Cubby]

Annasmom, do you recall any memories Anna talked about when she was either 4 or 5? My son is 5.5 and he amazes me sometimes with questions or talking about things he still remembers which happened when he was between 2 and 3. He still talks about his crib mobile and the crib toy which was attached to his crib. It was funny to me, that his memory of the crib toy attached to the crib was it scaring him. His description when the batteries were running low and the thing would screach and how that screaching scared him.

I think some things she talked about which scared her she may also still remember.

 

[Annasmom]

Annasmom, do you recall any memories Anna talked about when she was either 4 or 5? My son is 5.5 and he amazes me sometimes with questions or talking about things he still remembers which happened when he was between 2 and 3. He still talks about his crib mobile and the crib toy which was attached to his crib. It was funny to me, that his memory of the crib toy attached to the crib was it scaring him. His description when the batteries were running low and the thing would screach and how that screaching scared him.

I think some things she talked about which scared her she may also still remember.

There wasn't a lot that scared her. In SFA, I wrote about a spider dream she had which scared her, and she drew a spider web (possibly with the coaching of our neighbor, Suzapalooza, who may have shown her how beautiful those webs could be. I would think she would remember the bus trip, since that was so unusual and since we kept the bus for quite some time after we alighted at the farm. I would think she would remember having music around all the time, and maybe she would remember the farm animals.

 

[birdie74]

I have tons of memories from 5 and earlier. My dad was in the Navy and we moved around a lot back then, so I can usually tell about how old my memories are by where we lived.

My earliest memory was in VA, and we moved from there when I was a year and a half. We had an apt. on the beach and I used to play in the sand a lot. I just remember my parents trying to get me get in the water one day. They wanted me to at least get my toes wet, but I was afraid a shark would come up and eat me, so I kept throwing a fit. (Jaws came out that year, so I was probably seeing commercials for it.) I was a very timid child! I believe this was when we were about to move, and I didn't see a beach again until I was almost 6.

For the next year we had an apt. in PA, and all I remember there was grey carpet and a sunken living room. I know I had to step up to the kitchen and hallway.

We then lived in a house in PA until I was almost 5, and I have a lot of memories there- too many to name. I remember dozens of things about the house, though I couldn't give you an exact layout. I have a feel for the backyard and neighborhood, and remember stoops with cement lions on the sides. I surprised my parents when I was 10 or so and realized I still remembered our phone number and address from there. (I don't now. I know the street name, but all the #'s are gone.)

My dad was then stationed in Bahrain for a year, and right after he left, my mom found out her dad just had a few months left, so we moved to her hometown in WV just before my 5th birthday and stayed for 1 year. I have even more memories there then in PA. It was such a memorable year. My mom doesn't drive so we used to walk everywhere, and I still remember how to get to Grandma's house, the store, school, my friend's house, etc. I remember a lot of people- some who were important to me and some who were acquaintances. I remember Miss Gowdy's class in kindergarten and all the caterpillers I would play with at recess. There are so many events that I remember vividly.

In some ways I tried to train my memory as a child. We didn't take a lot of pictures through the years, but I guess I still wanted to hold onto the memories after the moves, so I would reminisce a lot. By 7th grade, I was in my 8th school and probably my 12th or 13th home, so I would test myself to see if I could name all my former teachers, schools, addresses, etc.

I wonder how this relates to Anna. I know a lot depends on the person (my mom barely remembers anything from her childhood), but I think it's a good sign that I can remember so much after leaving these places and never seeing most of them again. I hadn't had such a traumatic event and had my whole identity stripped from me, so that would likely have a big impact. Even though I can recall some things that I never discussed my family, I have no reason to think they aren't real. I know they happened. That would be different for Anna, but even if she only remembers a fraction of it, that may be enough for her to search for answers.

 

[Cubby]

Those are some good points Birdie. I've often thought Anna would have many memories of both the farm- because of the animals, and the bus trip around the country with the family, because those would have both been cool to a 5 yr old.

I believe Anna would remember anything out of the ordinary and cool to a 4 or 5 year old. I'm often amazed at the memories my almost 6 yr old son shares with me. We talk about them so he continues to remember them. I wonder, did Anna have any farm animals she was responsible for? Any that she cared for with the help of her mom or brothers?

Though, having been ripped from her family, I can imagine how an abductor may have convinced her, her happy memories of the bus trip may have been different than she remembered, and possibly convinced her the family lived in a bus because they were homeless, rather than the fun family vacation it was seeing the country. I apologize if my thoughts or comments might hurt, but I believe talking about them, posting about them, so they appear in searches is important. Especially if Anna, or someone she knows, one day googles her memories. I would hope she finds this forum and discovers her true identity.

 

[birdie74]

Some of my memories seem so random, too. There are events that I should remember but don't, yet little things I do. I was 3 when my little sister was born. My older sis and I didn't go to the hospital with them, but you'd think I'd remember when she was born or when they brought her home, but I don't. I do remember her being a fairly young baby. I have a lot of memories with my older sister- she's 2 yrs older than I am. I remember times when we were just silly and playing. I remember playing with my cats, but I don't remember when they got sick and died.

My grandpa died when I was 5, and I have faint memories of him. My mom thought we were too young to go to the funeral. I think if I had gone I'd be more likely to remember that time. Strangely enough, the night he died, we stayed with my grandparents' neighbors, and I remember she had lots of paper dolls I could play with, so I did that for hours. I know it must sound cold that that's what sticks out in my mind.

That same neighbor had a Basset hound named Carrie that loved kids, and when she'd us coming down the hill, she'd run up and meet us. My cousins, sisters, and myself were all so sad when she got hit by a motercycle, but she recovered. I remember playing with my cousins a lot that year.

 

[Cagney]

New to this part of the board, but not new to the story of Anna. I love that her story is here and that she is still being sought after all of these years.

Anyhow, my earliest childhood memory is from a time that I was 9 months old. My father had been out of state working for about 3 months prior and when he came home I remember being terrorfied of him. I remember what I was wearing that day and I remember what he was wearing that day. I remember him being upset because anytime he came near me I cried.
I think I remember this because it was a traumatic memory.

Beyond that, the rest of my memories start around 2.5 years old.

Kindergarten is quite clear for me. I remember my teachers name. I remember the field trips we went on. I remember many daily experiences from that time.

 

[Annasmom]

New to this part of the board, but not new to the story of Anna. I love that her story is here and that she is still being sought after all of these years.

Anyhow, my earliest childhood memory is from a time that I was 9 months old. My father had been out of state working for about 3 months prior and when he came home I remember being terrorfied of him. I remember what I was wearing that day and I remember what he was wearing that day. I remember him being upset because anytime he came near me I cried.
I think I remember this because it was a traumatic memory.

Beyond that, the rest of my memories start around 2.5 years old.

Kindergarten is quite clear for me. I remember my teachers name. I remember the field trips we went on. I remember many daily experiences from that time.

Thank you for posting these remarkable memories. It supports our hope that Anna might remember things from the age of five. I have been wondering if she would remember some of her funny perceptions such as "The American Seagull" (instead of the American Eagle, since she was a Coastal California girl) or the Pot-Belly Stoved (potbelly stove) or the Half Moon Bay Kaview (Review) or even Ogre the Hill (Over the Hill).

 

[iNTERESTEDWOMAN]

Thank you for posting these remarkable memories. It supports our hope that Anna might remember things from the age of five. I have been wondering if she would remember some of her funny perceptions such as "The American Seagull" (instead of the American Eagle, since she was a Coastal California girl) or the Pot-Belly Stoved (potbelly stove) or the Half Moon Bay Kaview (Review) or even Ogre the Hill (Over the Hill).

She might remember those things. When my younger brother was around 3ish, he used to call butter, ba-bore...so peanut butter was peanut ba-bore. I talked with him the other day and told him I had made some peanut ba-bore cookies. He couldn't believe I remembered that, and quite frankly, I couldn't believe he did either!

 

[raf]

Hi, I have some memories of when I was of 3/4/5 old... but I never remembering abt a accident that I had when I was abt 3 old...
I knew that I had it, but I never remebered as I had it.... what happen....
when I was abt 32 old, a night, a dream... and I re-lived the accident in this dream... I know that is true... the dream was very vivid... I believe that Anna can remember... in a way or in another, but she can remember....
regards, raf

 

[raf]

just other 2 cents:
in another forum abt italian genealogy (I'm a active member) a woman searching the mother in law, with, probable, italian heritage... the husband of this woman( author topic) was born in UK and the father abducted the child when he was abt 5/6 old and emigrated in Canada... the father re-married ... for all life the child grew up with convintion that natural mother was died in UK... when the father died, the second wife, after some year, saying that the natural mother never died...
the man remembering a sister, the mother and some other details... so he searching, knowing just the name of mother and last residence in UK...
It was a hard case...
by searches all members not found nothing... nothing....
for my experience, in this case so, I thinked( hoping right spell) that some data was no correct... so other search... nothing...
I had a idea:
if a son searching the mother, it is possible also that a mother searching the son.. right?
I made a search by website "missingyou" in UK, and I found a message old of some year, abt the mother that was searching the son in UK... all matching, better: the name of son and the first name of mother.. her surname was another, different, because the son knew only the surname of she by previous marriage ..
well: all well and the son found is mother....
what I wish say:
it is very possible that Anna remembering some thing of mother, and
it is possible that in some place she searching the mother....
all possible....
the Hope is all....
raf

 

[Shecky]

I remember many, many things from my childhood. I seem to be especially good at being able to place certain events with particular ages and time frames. For example, I can tell you that the day I started swimming without the aid of any flotation devices, was also the day of my big brother's high school graduation in 1989 (I was five years old).

I recall the neighborhood that I lived in from ages three to six. I can still visualize it to this day, all these years later. If you took me there, I'd recognize the street in a heartbeat. I remember names of family friends that I have not seen since I was five years old. I remember the day trip we took for my fifth birthday (Marine World, for those of you who are in California!). I recall the pink elephant cup that I was given that day, I remember that I had apricot jelly on my peanut butter sandwich. I remember the white and orange "I'm five years old!" t-shirt that I was wearing that day.

Not sure why my memory is so strong from those early years, but it is.

 

[Annasmom]

Some of you may be interested in reading the log of the bus trip our family made around the country the year before Anna disappeared. It contains drawings and several of her "Lo" letters, as well as photographs and tales of our sometimes harrowing adventures. You can find it at http://writeritewrightright.blogspot.com. The log begins On October 4 of this year, though the journal content of course is from 1971 for the most part (when gasoline was 35 cents a gallon!)

 

[Joe Ford]

Some of you may be interested in reading the log of the bus trip our family made around the country the year before Anna disappeared. It contains drawings and several of her "Lo" letters, as well as photographs and tales of our sometimes harrowing adventures. You can find it at http://writeritewrightright.blogspot.com. The log begins On October 4 of this year, though the journal content of course is from 1971 for the most part (when gasoline was 35 cents a gallon!)

35 cents a gallon....and ,by God, they washed every window on the bus for free...and with a cheerful smile!

 

[mel36]

I have one memory when I was a baby laying on a bed I asked my mother about a picture on the wall and a window and she verified that it was the first house we lived in we moved from that house when I was 6 months old "blinks" I also remember camping in the woods I was a baby then too it started hailing big golf ball size hail stones and my brother and father were picking them up and putting them into a bucket lol my mother said that I wasn't even a year old yet. Then I remember when I swallowed a penny when I was a year old, and my dad holding me by the brown sink metal sink it had a rub mark on it like it was worn down ,,I can tell you that I have at least one memory from each year. When I was three my brother was watching me while my parents worked, and my brother was upstairs, there was a knock on the door, I answered it, it was a man with dark short hair a mustache and a tan suit with a white dress shirt and a tan and striped tie ...he asked if he could use the bathroom and I told him that my brother was upstairs using the bathroom he said that he would go right there! I ran upstairs and told my brother he ran out of the bathroom with a towel around him and down the stairs but the man was gone, he never came back thank god. I was quite embarrased about what happened and my brother who was 17 at the time, first scolded me for opening the door after he told me not to then he hugged me real tight and told me to stay in his room until he was done getting dressed, he told our parents what happened and I asked why the man wanted to go pee in our doorway my dad looked at me and said "because there are creeps out in the world honey" my brother later on in life told me he was going to kill the guy he didn't care if the towel fell off! lol I was lucky the situation could have been very different. I just wanted to share that with you guys.

 

[smile22]

i remember the day we moved so vividly in my mind i was about 5/12 years old i remember my mom telling the moving men what to do. they day we moved i took a nap on the floor with some pillows i even remember the sheets i was lying on they are still in the closet someplace. it was around mid august when we moved cloudy with a hint of sun. i remember looking out the window not knowing what was going on we took two cars me and my brother in one car with my mom my dad and the dog in the other car with some random belongings. i even remember what i was wearing those windbraker pants with the strips on the side 9 this was the mid 80s) and a green shirt. i remember our house was not finished being built yet and we lived with my grandma for a few months. i even remember i was about 4 years old in my old house and i was sleeping it was like early morning 7ish and my dog at the time came in and i had this oversized cookie monster and all of us were playing in the bed. its weird how we process memories from early childhood but cant remember things from say when we were 8

 

[Cubby]

I thought I would ask here since this is discussing memories rather than the question for Annasmom area.

did Anna ever mention any specific memories to you that you can recall? Even if it were unusual? Some of the memories my now 6 yr old has mentioned over the last two years are of things that would not particularly stand out to me as an adult. He has memories of the toy attached to his crib (which I mentioned previously), memories of a day care provider he stopped going to before he was 3 (cause she was mean) and just recently mentioned he thought I was mad when he wanted to take a bath instead of wiping when he was first learning to train. Obviously those memories are not as exciting as bus trips, or plays... so I thought I would ask as they have apparently stood out in my sons mind.

Did she ever get anything yearly for a holiday that would stand out? My sons dad has given him one of those chocolate advent calanders for the last few years.

 

[Annasmom]

I thought I would ask here since this is discussing memories rather than the question for Annasmom area.

did Anna ever mention any specific memories to you that you can recall? Even if it were unusual? Some of the memories my now 6 yr old has mentioned over the last two years are of things that would not particularly stand out to me as an adult. He has memories of the toy attached to his crib (which I mentioned previously), memories of a day care provider he stopped going to before he was 3 (cause she was mean) and just recently mentioned he thought I was mad when he wanted to take a bath instead of wiping when he was first learning to train. Obviously those memories are not as exciting as bus trips, or plays... so I thought I would ask as they have apparently stood out in my sons mind.

Did she ever get anything yearly for a holiday that would stand out? My sons dad has given him one of those chocolate advent calanders for the last few years.

I think there's a big difference between five and six. I don't recall Anna's talking about any memories she had. One of the reasons I have been putting the bus log on my blog is that I thought those memories might still be with her. We had a pinata for her fifth birthday, not quite four months before she disappeared. I wonder if she would remember that. Or the piano music which went on her whole life.