So... High School Reunions... Who goes?

[Kay in Cal]

I've never been... my best friends were either a year younger than me or a year older than me. I can vaguely remember a few people from my year, but not enough to actually want to see them! I'm still in touch (rarely) with my best friend from high school, and she's the only one I'd want to hang out with.

 

Now, college friends we still see pretty frequently (dh and I went to college together), so we don't go to those reunions either--we are still in touch with all the friends we'd want to see.

[susie in tx]

My husband goes to every reunion they have. He loves them. I went with him to his 10th and we both actually had fun.

 

Last year was my 20th. I wouldn't usually think of going, but I was grieving the loss of my fil and his wife and was making weird decisions. Plus, my dh told me that my classmates would have changed.

 

Well, he was wrong. My classmates hadn't changed and we had an awful time. I don't plan to give those people my time ever again.

[Wendy In KS]

But we're kind of a weird story. We were high school sweethearts from differents high schools. We starting dating mid way through sophmore year. At the end of our junior year, we found out we were expecting. We both finished high school, but our senior years were definitely not "typical". We are both anxious to go back to our 10 year reunions this year. We now have been married almost nine years, and have 5 kids :D My MIL keeps telling us we're going to win some type of prize for most kids? :confused:

 

We are really just looking forward to catching up with some old casual friends, and seeing how many people haven't changed, and showing people how different we are (and that we've made it so far- nobody thought we would).

 

Side note: We went to totally different high schools- his was much more "ghetto" and mine was a rich, academic school (though both were public schools). It should be interesting to see how our different our reunions (and the attendees) will be.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I went to my 10th. Never again. People I thought were my friends in high school didn't talk to me. People who I thought were my friends in college didn't talk to me. Dh and I spent most of our time talking to spouses of fellow graduates who didn't have the time of day for us. I had more fun at dh's high school reunion, but he has no desire to go again either.

[Needleroozer]

...I went to my 10th, and had a grand ol' time (my husband...not so much, lol, but I had to show him off, so he went ;-).

 

 

I wish I could get mine to do that for me! He is just so very shy, and the thought of his own reunions is no fun, so why would he go to mine, where he knew even less folks? That's his logic, not mine, but if I do go this year, I will for sure take pictures along.

[HomeOnTheRanch]

I went to my 10th. DH couldn't go so it was just me with my mini photo album. There were a few people there I wanted to see, but most of friends from hs were locals who didn't bother going to the reunion because they figured they saw everyone around town. I spent the next few days tracking down those people! My 20th is this summer. I'm not going. I'll go to my 25th if DH can go with me. I'm not going stag again. That was uncomfortable. Some guy I barely knew in high school kept asking me to dance (sad, he was brain damaged in a car accident after hs, I thought he was drunk, but later someone told me what had happened to him) I don't dance, and there was no one to rescue me from that awkward situation. He finally found a few others to dance with.

[Tammy]

I wanted to go to my others....but I was either pregnant or nursing, LOL!

 

Tammy

[Robin Hood]

I have gone to every reunion; 10th, 20th & 30th. I didn't get what I thought I would out of going, but there is something about going back in time that gives you a little foresight into what is ahead or maybe even a boost to the desisions you've made about your life after you see where everybody has been and is going. It's not at all necessary, but it's interesting. At a 20th reunion, you can still expect lot of showing off.

 

Every reunion from my class began with a big attempt to do something grand and expensive. There must've been minimal response becasue it never turned out as grand as the original version for the planners. The 30th had been a plan to go on a cruise and ended up as a back yard garden party. The more simple the affair, the more intimate and fun it turned out. I expect the 40th to be free from most of the pretenses of grandness and and the most fun yet. That would not be the case had I not attended previous events.

 

I went to an all girl high school and there were only 69 in my graduating class. At the 30th it was decided that no spouses would attend. That meant no men. It was the most fun. As I see it, even at larger co-ed public school reunion, a spouse that did not usually take part in that time of life could potentially make the party not so fun because of the alumni being over concerned about him/her and not enjoy fully reuniting with other alumni. I have no desire to attend my dh reunions. As shy as I am, I would be sitting at a table all by myself trying to fit in and being most uncomfortable. He wants to show off his family, but beyond that, we'd have no fun, no connect. Dh and I were not married at the time of the 10th but we were at the 20th. Bless his heart, but because of my concern over his presence, it was less than it could've been and I fatigued of his jokes about being the outsider. He was just interested in being my peacock and that was over real quick.

 

I didn't read most of the responses, Kate, so if I misunderstood your question and gave a dumb answer, sorry.

[pixelroper]

a no go for me- I think the 20th is this year, can't remember if I was notified, prefer to stay loosely in touch with a few friends-

[readwithem]

I never went. We got married the same day as my 10th so I was otherwise occupied :) When my 20th rolled around, we were overseas. I don't know whether we had a 30th - maybe they gave up on me :)

[Tutor]

and get together with people I knew and would like to see again. I had friends in so many different grades that I wouldn't see them all if I just went to my year. And of the 575 kids in my grade, I would like to see about 25 who I have fallen out of touch with and think about periodically wondering how their lives have turned out and where they are now.

[gandpsmommy]

I just can't really think of anyone I particularly care about seeing again, except for my twin sister, who I see regularly. There are a few people I would happily chat with if I happened to see them somewhere, but no one that I would really go out of my way to arrange to see.

[justme]

I went to my 10th and 20th,but now I'm done. At the 20th, my group that keeps in touch went to dinner the night before and had a great time. The reunion itself was a letdown because we had done all our serious catching up the night before,so the excitement wore off quickly. Then we were left with all the other people who either had no idea who we were and no interest in finding out. It was sickening to watch the same cliques and immature behavior. The affair was pretty cheesy as well- at a bar that some guy from our class owns with overpriced, bland food. They didn't even have a cake or dessert! There were several people that I haven't kept in touch with and did want to talk to at the reunion, but they never showed. In short,the group I keep in touch with will just do our own reunion every once in a while from now on.

[mcconnellboys]

Not I, said the dog......

 

Regena

[Rosie_0801]

Our tech school amalgamated with the high school when I was in year nine, which meant we had two very different cultures now packed into the same school. Our reunion was a cocktail party, and I can be very certain that no one I would want to see would show up to a cocktail party. We're just not the type! I don't mind running into the guys I went to school with, but it becomes a big competition with the girls. My partner earns more than your partner, my degree is better than your degree, I've travelled the entire world and you haven't, my kids are at a better school than your kids, oh you're only defacto and not really married etc. The guys, on the other hand, are genuinely happy to hear that you're working towards whatever goal you have, however small it is.

No cocktail parties for me!

Rosie- the defacto person who hasn't travelled (yet) and "only" has an arts degree. However, my baby is better looking than theirs ;)

[*anj*]

My partner earns more than your partner, my degree is better than your degree, I've travelled the entire world and you haven't, my kids are at a better school than your kids, oh you're only defacto and not really married etc. The guys, on the other hand, are genuinely happy to hear that you're working towards whatever goal you have, however small it is.

 

If that were my experience I'd skip it too. I am actually kind of surprised at the number of people who say they went back to a reunion (beyond the 10th one) and found that level of snobbery. I have to say that I never felt that way at mine. Maybe because we were from such a small town, I don't know. But we just all really seemed to enjoy chatting and getting caught up. We compared lives and showed pictures of kids and all, but it definitely wasn't in an I'm-better-than-you way.

 

I didn't love high school, but it wasn't that bad for me either.

 

Of course, if the girl who ended up marrying one of our teachers showed up, that might change things...we were all pretty creeped out by that!

[Cricket]

I went to my 10th and my 20th is next year. My family still lives within decent driving distance of where I grew up so that makes it easier. I had fun at my 10th and I think my 20th will be fun. I hope I get to go. It was fun to see how people had changed (or not changed!) and to catch up on old friends. I have fond memories of high school. I went back to my hometown over Christmas and my sister and I walked around our old high school. It seemed so small. :001_smile:

[susie in tx]

If that were my experience I'd skip it too. I am actually kind of surprised at the number of people who say they went back to a reunion (beyond the 10th one) and found that level of snobbery. I have to say that I never felt that way at mine. Maybe because we were from such a small town, I don't know. But we just all really seemed to enjoy chatting and getting caught up. We compared lives and showed pictures of kids and all, but it definitely wasn't in an I'm-better-than-you way.

 

Your experience is most of what I had heard before I went to mine. I was hopeful that my trip back to my reunion was going to be more mature than what it really was. It was truly an amazing thing. I could not believe how the cliques were still alive and kicking. I went to a large school, but it seemed that those who went to the reunion spent a lot of time together and were definitely not interested in seeing anyone else. I felt shunned, similar to how I'd felt in high school.

 

My step mil and fil went to their high school reunions every year. They died last spring and I think my desire to go was influenced by how I thought they would have encouraged me. I'm sorry that I was disappointed.