My Earliest Childhood Memory and Why It Has Stuck With Me

An incident I can never forget

One of the earliest and most unforgettable memories from my childhood happened when I was about five or six years old. I was still in primary school at the time, and I was with my mum and two older siblings. We were going to a particular village, one I had never visited before, but they have. To get to that village, we had to pass a large river. This river was known for its strong flow, and though there was a narrow part of it where water wasn’t too much, it could become dangerous very quickly.

On that day, we started our journey as usual. When we reached the river, my siblings and I crossed first. The water was low at that time, and we were able to get across safely. My mum was the last to cross. But just as she started walking through the river, something unexpected happened, the water suddenly began to rise and flow very fast. Before we knew it, the river was pushing hard against her body, and it looked like she was about to be taken away by the strong current.

I remember screaming and crying so hard. I couldn’t hold back my tears. I shouted that I was going to follow her into the river. I couldn’t imagine losing her, she was my closest person in the world and meant everything to me. My love for her was too deep. Even as my siblings tried to hold me back, I was stubborn and determined to go after her. I ran along the riverbank crying, not caring about the danger.

We were all helpless. As children, we didn’t know what to do or how to save her. We just stood there crying, afraid, and praying in our hearts. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. But something happened that changed everything, my mum felt the root of a tree inside the river. She held on to it tightly and used all her strength to pull herself out of the rushing water. By some miracle, she was able to escape.

That moment has never left my mind. Even now, I still think about it. It stuck with me because I came so close to losing the one person I loved the most. The fear, the pain, and the relief I felt that day taught me how deep love can be especially the love between a mother and her child. That experience shaped how I see life, family, and the people I care about. It’s a memory I will carry with me forever.