How can you prove to your parents in the past that you're their future kid? I'm currently watching the TV series Dark and time travel plays a crucial part there. I've only just started to watch, so I

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Miriam

How can you prove to your parents in the past that you're their future kid?

I'm currently watching the TV series Dark and time travel plays a crucial part there. I've only just started to watch, so I won't give many spoilers here but just the one: a boy goes missing and finds himself accidentally travelled back 33 years from the year 2019 to the year 1986. He goes home and meets his teenage parents who of course have no clue who he is. Watch the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZuYcZGB-Tw.

This reminded me of another "time travel meet your teenage parents scene". Of course, I'm talking about Back to the Future. Here you can see how he meets his mother for the first time (travelled from 1985 to 1955): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0XiztFUZlc.

That made me thinking about what could one do or say to convince one's parents (that are mere teenagers) that one is their future child. I asked my kids what'd they do but they didn't have a good solution.

What about you? What if you find yourself back in the past and met your teenage parents? Could you comvice them that you're their future kid?

Commentaires · 19

As I perceive it, there are two models (broadly speaking) of time travel that make some sort of sense.

One is where time is multi-dimensional, and going backwards actually entails going 'diagonally' backwards in time. In other words, this is where the time traveller arrives in an alternative timeline. I haven't seen it yet, but as I understand it, this is the model depicted in Dark.

The alternative, is that time is uni-dimensional. In this version, a time traveller would be unable to change anything...nevertheless, simply by virtue of existing, they do have an influence. Seen from a 'meta-temporal' perspective, time would have to be conceived as having 'always' existed. It would be like looking at a plank of wood; it consists mostly of straight, parallel lines, but here and there is a circle, a knot in the wood. A knot in time might seem to have no rational beginning or end. Cause-and-effect could be completely impossible to determine; someone could be their own child and parent. An exemplary depiction of this model of time-travel would be the short story All You Zombies, or its film adaptation, Predestination.

With respect to the original question: if time is multi-dimensional, then it may be impossible to prove any such thing to your parents in the past, because they are not actually your parents. They are just the parallel universe analogues to your true parents. Simply by popping into existence in their timeline, you will have almost certainly prevented the exact mixture of genes that created you from splicing together at the right moment; you will never be born, and they will not be your parents. In Back to the Future, Marty still shouldn't exist in the new timeline.

If time is uni-dimensional, then everything you know about the past (as perceived from your original present) will always be true. You can tell your parents everything you know about their future, and that of the world, and it will turn out true.

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed time-traveller

Forgive me for going off on a tangent... with regard to proving identity, do you know the comic poem, "The Twins," by H. S. Leigh?

In form and feature, face and limb,

I grew so like my brother,

That folks got taking me for him,

And each for one another.

It puzzled all our kith and kin,

It reached a fearful pitch;

For one of us was born a twin,

Yet not a soul knew which.

One day, to make the matter worse,

Before our names were fixed,

As we were being washed by nurse,

We got completely mixed;

And thus, you see, by fate's decree,

Or rather nurse's whim,

My brother John got christened me,

And I got christened him.

This fatal likeness even dogged

My footsteps when at school,

And I was always getting flogged,

For John turned out a fool.

I put this question, fruitlessly,

To everyone I knew,

'What would you do, if you were me,

To prove that you were you?'

Our close resemblance turned the tide

Of my domestic life,

For somehow, my intended bride

Became my brother's wife.

In fact, year after year the same

Absurd mistakes went on,

And when I died, the neighbors came

And buried brother John.

Well, If I met my parents as teenagers, I would have to see them separately because they didn't know each other until they were in university. Could I convince them I'm their kid? If I tried, perhaps I could, but forget that! I'd be grilling them for other information. Time and time again I've asked them about their lives when they were younger. They have told me some stories, but it seems like they've forgotten much about their youth (or maybe they don't want to divulge about certain memories). So, it would be fun to find out information about my parents while it's fresh in their mind. 😼

LOL!:D Well, that would be quite difficult to convince them that they would have me as their future-son!:D In that case... Hmm, so I would better leave a good impression so that they would expect a son like me in the future and I will bless them in disguise!:)

I was thinking to watch Dark especially after its good rating. Maybe I should!

First, since time-travel is imaginary or theoretical at best, all answers are technically correct, even those of your kids. :)

Well... if the numbers pan out that means this 'boy' was as much as 50 years old before he traveled back in time. I would assume that's old enough to have had the odd chat with the parents about their childhood, parents, grandparents.

It would seem to me that a stranger knowing these things would be unlikely at best. Therefore, I'm your son because you told me these things when you raised me. Also, if he's carrying ID, his birth certificate would have their names on it. If he's carrying his phone, which for 2019 is practically a lock, they'd be in some of the pics.

'finds himself accidentally travelled back" might be better expressed - accidentally time-travels back to / due to time-travel finds himself in year ****.

(also, there's only one 'l' in traveled - I know, it's not intuitive)

'That made me thinking about" might be better as - That got me thinking / That made me think

'what could one do or say' might be better as 'what one could do or say / what you could do or say - to convince your

Cheers!

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