Darla Givens, a 5 year old Kindergartner at P.S.112, forgot how to play Memory® during recess last week. Baffled teachers and administrators called in professionals to examine the girl.
“This may be the strangest case I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Allen Packerd, a pediatric neurologist from The Univ. of Penn. “Sometimes kids just forget because they’re kids. Sometimes it’s more serious. This is what gets me up in the morning.”
Darla’s teacher first noticed something was amiss when Darla said she didn’t want to play. “I said, ‘Darla, you love Memory®, remember?’ She said that she recognized the cards, but didn’t know what she was supposed to do. It’s sad, really.”
Attempts to question the young student were thwarted by her parents. Through their lawyer they released this statement: “We are deeply troubled by this incident. We feel that this was only a momentary lapse on our beautiful daughter’s part. On the off chance that it was not, we have contracted Dr. Packerd and his entire staff to run as many test as needed on Darla. While she is out of school, Darla hopes that her friends will not forget her.”
As word of this traveled through the grapevine, Milton Bradley®, maker of the game, moved quickly to give Darla every version they have of Memory®. And Milton Bradley® said that they plan to release a Darla version of the game early this fall.
Reported and Written by Field Reporter Sheen Dimsdale
