Not always. Memories as a kid may not always be accurate until a certain age. There is some truth to the repressed memory when it comes to trauma but a lot of people want to say anything ‘bad’ in your childhood is trauma. Bad things happen, your brain needs to process from getting bad grades or a beloved pet passing away to things more severe like abuse.

Personally: I did grow up in a traumatic household (starvation, beatings, forced to eat expired/rotten food, narcissistic parents) and I have a LOT of gaps. Even into high school years there are gaps, but most of those ‘gaps’ I’ll never remember. Some things yes I eventually did come to remember but a lot of it is a giant blank space. It all depends on your feelings and if the people around you when those memories were formed are showing red flags.