[John Robertson]

Amazing, isn't it? Most kids don't even remember all that much before the age of three or four, anyway. With both of my kids, when I brought up things we had done with them when they were very young, they couldn't even remember them. Said to the wife, Look at all the money we could have saved!

[lainie]

I imagine most people count their first memory as being at LEAST age three or four.. if they're lucky.

[reformedliberal]

Yes! I am laughing here!

When my son was 9, we took a trip to the South Pacific. I planned it so that the first 2 weeks would be in Tahiti during the 10 days of his Christmas vacation.

When he was 21, we were going through some of the pictures we had taken. He said:"I barely remember that. You should have put the money in the bank for me. It would have earned interest and I could have it now."

Good luck to Hilton, her fluency in Mandarin and her memories of Shanghai at the age of two!!

And to her parents: I expect Hilton and her privileged friends will appreciate being able to talk about dope, boys and breaking the rules in a language her parents cannot understand.

[Mears]

But they pick up accent free languages without even giving it a thought.

A child that young could learn a language in about 8 months, but of course it has to be a continuous process to increase the vocabulary.

It's the way the brain is wired at that age.

[maui_hawaii]

They may not remember facts and figures but young children are EXTREMELY moldable. There is a pattern set out for most people that starts before 3 years of age...in how one thinks and other 'intangible' aspects...