Remembering Remembering

First off, allow me to explain the title - this post is going to deal with memory (specifically my first memory), and how I remember, remembering.

Every time someone brings up the topic of memory, the question of everyone's first memory is brought up. And every time, I recall my fateful first day of pre-kindergarten. I was screaming and crying because I didn't want my dad to leave me with all these people I didn't know, and my dad was consoling me to no avail. He said that he had to run to the car for a second...strangely enough, he didn't return. Which led to more tears and bawling...I forgave him eventually.

But is that really my first memory? I remember something from Natick, where I lived until I was about 3 or so. I don't remember any events, but I remember the grayish-blue house across the street with the old guy who reminded me of the old guy from Dennis the Menace. That wasn't really an event, so would we consider that a memory?

And there's always the idea that inception has been around long before Leonardo DiCaprio introduced it to us over this past summer; it's possible that my parents would always tell me this story (they always found it funnier than I did for some reason) and that it ended up construing that as my first memory, since they didn't repeatedly tell me anything from before that time.

So what exactly is my first memory? Ironically enough, I'm not really sure what it is. It's just cool to think about.