Working Memory: You Already Told Me That (Like 5 Times)

One thing about my mom that really annoys me is the number of times she repeats information.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my mother very much. But it drives me crazy when she tells me about the same thing three different times, as if she never told me in the first place.

For example, a few months ago, she must have told me about the problem she had with her accountant about five different times. And in each conversation, she'd say "Oh, and did I tell you about the accountant?" To which I'd answer, "Yeah, Ma, like five times already!"

Well, lo and behold, it appears that I have a similar issue with repetition.

This past weekend, Erin and I drove to a local farm to get the most delectable strawberries I've ever tasted. I seriously cannot get enough of these strawberries. I don't know what I'm going to do when strawberry season is over! But anyway...

I love the strawberries so much that I get really excited on the way to the farm. As we were driving, I pointed out the window and said to Erin, "See, there's a strawberry patch! I think that might even belong to the farm that we get our berries from, even though it's a little distance from the rest of the farm. I think they have land scattered all around here."

Sounds like normal conversation, right?

Erin gently put a hand on my leg, squeezed out a smile, and said, "Honey, I love you very much. But you really need to stop telling me that you think that particular strawberry patch might be part of the farm. I know already. You've told me at least eight times."

I was slightly offended. "Come on!" I said. "That's not true! Okay, it's totally possible that I told you about the strawberry patch before, but not eight times."

Trying hard to stay calm, Erin replied, "Jen, you tell me every time we drive by. Every. Single. Time."

After a few breaths, I sighed. "Wow, I'm becoming my mother."

Adults with ADD often experience poor working memory, or short-term memory. This presents challenges such as not remembering where you put your keys, forgetting what you walked into a room for, and repeating random information a ridiculous amount of times. Like me. And my mother.

What kinds of working memory challenges do you experience?

Comments

[Eva Wallace]

OMG! That's me! My family is so patient with me, but I'm sure they think I've lost my mind. Sometimes I can remember telling one of them something, but darned if I remember which one. So inevitably, someone's gotta hear it again. If I can sometimes remember that I told someone, then there should be some sort of association I could make in my brain to remember which someone. I’ll have to work on that. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in my apparent senility. ;)

Thanks for posting this,
~Eva

[Linda]

I had a similar conversation with my son recently and I thought I must be getting old! But Jennifer you are in your 30s I think and its happening to you! I called my son and read him your story. His response? Does this mean it's going to happen to me soon too? YES!!! I told him.
Thanks for sharing your personal life with us. To me it helps so much to get the facts with an example from a real life person.

[Jen Koretsky]

That's great Eva and Linda! I'm so glad you found the post helpful. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. :)