There are distinct moments or series of events that amaze me with the abilities of our bodies. My son has had a rough go of life in the last couple weeks as he battled through some less-than-fun struggles. And as I watched him with near-helplessness I got to thinking about the sheer quantity of pain kids go through and realized, "no wonder we don't remember being infants and toddlers! We would all become homicidal maniacs denying the existence of a benevolent god."

But seriously, here are the things my son was going through at the same time:

Teething
Growing pains (the physical changes, not the 80's TV show)
Slight diaper rash
A head cold

All of that experience endured by a two-year-old who can only communicate at the most basic of levels but become frustrated with doctorate-level precision. Although most would agree with the notion that our early childhood influences our development, we certainly don't remember it. Apparently, we have a natural defense against such trauma.

According to University of Arizona psychology professor Lynn Nadal, PhD., we have two kinds of memory: one for skills and habits and another for knowledge and events. It is the portion of the brain used for remembering events -the hippocampus- that matures years after birth. Nadal has conducted multiple studies leading to the conclusion that our minds use early events to influence the development of our skills and habits without actually remembering them.

So we have a biological shield against the crazy pain endured as infants and toddlers. How wonderful for us!

How do you think your life would be different if you remembered your early childhood?