Choosing what to forget

Up until this point, my husband and I have been the keeper of our son's memories. I've written letters to him since I learned I was pregnant, I'm one of those scrapbooking Moms who has shelves full of family albums documenting our family adventures, and my wonderful husband is the photographer of the family, capturing all the big (and little) moments of our lives.

My son is able to retain long-term memories from his current age, and I often wonder what he will choose to hold on to and what will be forgotten if neither he nor us, document it.

Of course I want him to remember the good things in life and let go of some of the bad memories. Science, of course, has given us a way to do this. By changing the context of a memory, we can eventually forget it.

Yes, science is cool, but I don't think this is something that I want to explore with my son. We are made up of our memories - both good and bad - and although I have chosen what to write in our family history for the his first six years, I don't want to dictate what he will remember for the rest of his life by altering the context of an event. It will be up to him to remember the good, the bad and the everyday, whether I document it for him or not.

What's one of your strongest memories from childhood? Share it with me in the comments.