What Your Childhood Memories Say about You . . . and What You Can Do about It Paperback – September 1, 2008

Once upon a time, there was a little boy who was the last born child in his family. He was mischievous, fun-loving and, most of all, he enjoyed making people laugh even if it was at his own expense. After many years of forging and solidifying this jester persona, his Truth Therapist's (his Mom) words finally began to hit home. He decided to do better. His "D" and "F" grades turned into "C" and "B" grades. He also began getting a few "A" grades! He finished college and went on to grad school and became a doctor. What was that little boy? Dr. Kevin Leman, author of What Your Childhood Memories Say About You. "As the youngest child in my family, I accepted early on that my role was to entertain people, to have fun, and to push limits whenever possible. The only way I could stand out from my scholarly sister and athletic brother was to cut my own path, which was by being a goof-off. Some children strive for attention in positive ways; others strive for attention in negative ways. But one way or another, all kids strive for attention." (Location 129, Kindle Version)Dr. Leman's own childhood is an excellent example of his book's premise; that recalling and reviewing one's early childhood memories can reveal what is your "private logic". Once you know what your private logic is, you can change it and make your life better. Your private logic is the way in which you view the world and how you respond to the people in your world, or your modus operandi.You can discern your private logic by recalling your 3 or 4 most vivid memories from when you were 5, 6, 7 and 8 years old. These memories, once viewed through the filters Dr. Leman details in What Your Childhood Memories Say About You, give you your life pattern and private logic that is probably still driving you to this day.Dr. Kevin LemanDr. Leman believes that your vivid memories are the ones that your mind chooses for you to recall because they encapsulate your private logic. To paraphrase Dr. Leman, of all the memories you could have remembered, why did your psyche choose the ones do remember? This book is a fascinating perspective to view one's behavior as well as the behavior of those around us...including your children's behavior. What Your Childhood Memories Say About You is an excellent tool for writers, as well. It can help them delve deeper into their characters to make them richer and more complex. So, if you're looking to figure out why you hate peas, or why the color purple makes you smile, or if you want to create a sensational three dimensional character, pick up Dr. Leman's book!

The author takes you back to your first memories - and then more childhood memories start popping up. While you probably did not understand it at the time, now you an look back at those and recall your emotions and "decisions" you made around those events. These became our guide posts along our way.This one isn't an early memory but one that has affected my life greatly. When I was young, I played "teacher" a LOT with my friends. I was a Catechism teacher and a Reading Mentor when I was in Junior High and High School and enjoyed it very much. I also had a doll, Molly, that came with stick-on chicken pox & measles plus a leg and arm cast and crutches. That was my favorite doll and I played nurse with her.Towards the end of 8th grade, the high school came in and had us sign up for our elective classes. I signed up for college prep knowing that I wanted to be either a teacher or a nurse. When my Mom saw this, she took me to the Principal's office and changed my course to Business instead. I ended up working as a Secretary, Admin or Office Manager all my life. And though I did well, it so much went again my personal grain.Today, at 62 I am presently on a retreat to "reboot" my life. One of the things I am looking at is going back to school to finally follow my dream.This book helped my understand my professional restlessness I've had and my shame that I didn't have a college degree.... plus many, many other "rules" that were made in my life.

I started this book a few years ago and decided to check it off the unfinished list. The Birth Order Book was helpful for me when my children were small, but those days are well past.There is more good here for younger readers so they can learn from their childhoods and create positive memories for their children. It may beneficial for business leaders who work with lots of people. There's a ministry element, too, for anyone who is responsible for how groups of people interact.I highlighted a few quotes for future reference to give me opening questions for others to speak.

This is a very insightful read! Dr. Kevin Leman gives incredible insight into our psychological composition based on our memories. He makes a compelling case on how our earliest childhood memories determine our future actions as adults. Using the lives of well known celebrities, Dr. Leman shows how postivie and negative, emotional memories are recorded by the brain's amygdala nuclei and become an impetus for human action, both good and bad.In his very candid and funny, non-technical style, Dr. Leman attempts to teach us how to analyze our personhood based on the things that deeply affected our memory compartment as children. For example, he states how Mother Teresa was destined to give her life to the poor in Calcutta, India, by reason of the fact that she remembers her mother frequently bringing in the poor and destitute to eat with them at dinner time. He shows how Larry King, since the age of five, was determined to be a television talk-show host since his earliest memories are of him standing in front of the mirror acting as a broadcaster. Dr. Leman gives a reason for Michael Jackson's creation of Neverland Ranch in California for kids. And many other intriguing stories.If you are a fan of psychology or a student of human patterns or simply interested in learning more about yourself, then I highly recommend this fascinating book!

It was written, as most of Mr. Leman's books are, concisely and clearly. It takes time to read, absorb and digest the contents of this book, but it is well worth the effort.

This is a book for the general public and not for practitioners, and is a very good start for self-awareness based on the work of Alfred Adler (about early recollections and their subjective meaning, as well as the influence of the family of origin into the development of who you are). As a self-help guide it also provides a way to interpret your past and ways to make the necessary changes into unlocking your future. The book is very well written and it is obvious that the author likes to engage his audience (as he has admitted so in the book!). It is a quickly flowing read about a fascinating subject. I recommend it if you are wondering how your subjective view of your past experiences has shaped who you are today.

I am half way through this book, and in parts it's interesting, although I could have done without all the personal stories Dr leman felt were needed to add to the book. It wasn't a biography, although at times it felt like it.