I have read that often times gifted kids have excellent memories.

I am wondering if any of you have a child who has an unusually strong retention of dates?

I will give you an example from this week in the car...

Me: I can't believe it's February already!

dd5: I know. Isn't it funny that the people in Florida will be putting their seeds in the ground on February 25th and we have to wait until May 25th?

Me: Oh - were you studying that today at school?

dd5: No, remember from the map on the back of the packet when we bought our seeds?

That was last Spring.

Then, a few minutes later, out of the blue...

dd5: Remember when we were driving home from Nana's house last March 13th and it started snowing so hard? We were really surprised.

Me: Ummm..

I don't even bother checking her dates anymore because they're always spot-on. She has been like this ever since I can remember. She understood the concept of time, days of the week, calendar, etc. very young. I remember when she was 2-years-old she told me that a favorite uncle had come to visit on a Tuesday. That had happened 4-months earlier.

I hesitate to call it an obsession with dates because it seems effortless for her to recall them.

Me, I need to look at my phone to see what the date is today

Can anyone else relate?

That's amazing. start writing some of these examples down with his age (and the date might be good-LOL)

My DH and his mother tend to be really good with years. I can ask DH when anything significant happened and he knows the year. This has always amazed me but your story - wow!

I hope someone here knows more. I'm interested too.

Totally can relate!!! My ds, who by the way, tested not to be gifted, has been able to tell us (since hes been around age 5 or so) what random day falls on what month/date in say....I don't know, the year 2013, 2020, etc...??? And the kid gets it right every single time!!! It blows my husband and I away. Ds11 has always had an amazing memory for dates, facts, etc...But oddly enough, not tested gifted??? He's the one I would have bet money on...Hit all the Ruf level 3/4's...Strange. Now that's another story...lol

I have a horrible memory for dates but, my little sister has always amazed me. She would say 'remember when (x) happened' and I would say 'no' and she would say 'yeah remember it was Wednesday and it was raining and you had on the yellow shirt' etc. It will get down to where it was something that happened like ten years ago. It is nuts.

I actually had a funny conversation with one of my professors today who could remember dates like that. Both DC18 and I unnerve people sometimes with our abilities to recall events on a particular day as well.

There's an actual term for someone who can do this with dates. I was watching a special on it once, about twins who loved Dick Clark. Can't recall the other "issues" that the girls had been diagnosed with, but you could ask them what day 3/12/1809 was on, and they would know, not even being alive them. I'll have to research what it's called.

Savants... but it says that the person/child would have a disorder too... so nevermind.

My DD6 has a thing with dates, but not the same way that you are describing. She likes to know everyones birthday. Started when she desided it was time she learned the months of the year (she was almost 3) She would look at the calendar starting with January and ask "who has a birthday in January?" and would go through all the months and then do it over again, and over again. She still knows everyones birthday and it's really nice because she reminds me when one of my in-laws birthdays are coming up.

Cecelia, I would be curious what sort of testing was done for your ds's....

I hope these will make you laugh, but I might expect some to roll their eyes...

I use to remember what I wore to every occassion. I'm not gifted but thought this was amazing. Since motherhood and decline in waredrobe I have lost this gift. Infact, I would rather not even think about it.

Thanks JJsMom for the savant possibility...Interesting. Of course all morning I've been researching savants and calendical calculation!!! Hahaha...Well, I'm not thinking it fits ds. Most savants seem so extreme and are usually autistic or with some nervous/brain disorder which ds does not have....But still it IS intriguing. Now that ds is 11 and is focused on other interests, I don't see him using calendaring as much. Although now he is a complete nut memorizing baseball stats/facts...Hmmmm....When he comes home from school, I'll have to "quiz" him to see if the calendaring is still there Lol. Funny, I was looking back on a journal of observations I had written about ds. He was age 8. I had written that he had memorized all the presidents in order, all the capitals, landmarks and exact location, and is currently memorizing all the worlds countries/capitals/landmarks/locations and every countries/states/cities populations. Is this a "normal" regular kid thing??? Gifted kid thing??? Something else??? Do your kids do this??? We just have always loved his passion of learning and had never thought of it as anything else

Hi Chris 1234! When I get a few more minutes, I promise to respond to your testing question

DS16 is very similar. He has been through calendar dates & geography. Sport has always been his biggest interest and he still memorises stats/facts for soccer, rugby league, cricket, tennis and the list goes on........LOL.


Same here, took me a loooooong time to realise that the things he did and knew weren't "normal" for kids his age.

I think DD2.5 might have my memory as she remembers things better than DH. She talks abut things which happened over a year ago and knows what will happen each day. If asked she can tell you what happens each day of the week.

I struggled with my memory at work as I got so frustrated when others never remembered anything. Dh and you all here have made me understand that it is not them having a bad memory, it is me having a great memory. Still my colleagues are bit afraid of me as I can tell them what they were doing and when, often even the date at least the month and year. I remember also things that were told to me and the person who told it already forgot. I remember more about their projects than them even if I was not involved. My boss feels miserable and is afraid she is getting old when she can not remember what I'm talking about, she writes lots of notes so I can prove easily I'm right as I can tell her to check her notes from certain date. I never write notes.

Weird thing is I can never remember birthdays, not even my own and we have never celebrated our anniversary as we always forget it.

I always wondered if it was a numbers thing for my dd5. I've mentioned in previous posts that she was quite obsessed with numbers -- to the point where she refused to wear a shirt unless it had a number on it for the entire year she was two (bless my mother's heart, she sewed numbers on them all). She has always noticed numbers, like addresses, where ever we go. That's not that odd in itself. The strange thing to me is that she retains these numbers for many months or years and then recalls them effortlessly.

It's almost as if her memories have a date stamp. Except it's not just the numbered date, she often remembers the day of the week as well. But I don't think she could compute a day of the week simply by knowing the year. I think her date recall has to do more with her own memories.

I've grown quite accustomed to her quirky ways. But this may be the one thing she does that always catches me off-guard and makes me think, "That's not normal, is it?"

I wanted to update this old thread with another one from dd tonight while brushing teeth. Just when I think this dates thing is gone...

dd (just turned 6): I always do a good job brushing my teeth because I don't want to get any more cavities. Remember when I had to get that one filling? On September 9, 2008. (pause) Or maybe September 19th. I just remember there was a 9 in the ones column.

So, of course, I drag out the old calendars. September 9, 2008. dd Dentist appointment - cavity filled - 12pm.

I did think the "9 in the ones column" statement was interesting. This whole thing must have to do with numbers for her...

Very funny, Irisheyes. So funny to see this thread today. In the car yesterday, DS6 and I are talking about school. He tells me that school starts on Aug. 31.

Me: Did I tell you that?
Him: No
Me: Did someone else tell you that at camp?
Him: No
Me: How do you know that?
Him: That's when we started school last year.

Who knew? Yes, yes, I know...apparently he did.

Yep, mine does that. Both historical dates and dates in his lifetime, as well as atomic numbers of elements and that sort of thing. Numbers just stick in place for him.

DeeDee