High school reunions: Can't wait or can't be bothered?

My 20th high school reunion was held last year and whoops! I forgot to attend.

Damn.

Months before hand, the emails and Facebooking started. "Are you going?" "No? Why not?" Some friends even called me the NIGHT OF asking me why I wasn't going. That was sweet, but does anyone really need a reason why they don't want to attend a high school reunion?

I don't want to sound bitter but I had no interest in catching up with people that I really didn't know 20 years ago. Plus, I'm just not into the "one-up-manship vibe" that seems to surround so many of these kinds of gatherings. It's not that I hated high school--it was fine--I just like leaving the past firmly in the past. Where it belongs. I treasure the friends from high school that I still have and make an effort to see them as often as I can.  That's good enough pour moi.

See? No matter what reason you give for not going you end up sounding bitter. Another reason NOT to go.

What about you.  Did you go to your 20th or did you totally blow it off? If you went, was it what you expected?  If you didn't, did you have any regrets about not going or did life carry on as normal?

I think I'm going to have to go into hiding before the next reunion rolls around. Maybe Facebook will be dead by then. But if I had considered going, I mean, if it had crossed my mind for more than a millisecond, I totally would have sent a stripper in my place like Andrea Wachner did.

Maybe I'll do that for my 50th.

—Stefania/CityMama

Comments

[cat/bad kitty]

It helps to change your name just enough to make it impossible for those people to find you.

I'm also a fan of the incomplete profile.
Don't list your schools and they can't find you!

I am totally inspired to hire a stripper to go in my place. Or to take a porn star to play my husband. Very Zach & Miri, plus he'd probably be more fun to hang with than Chief, who tends to get annoyed at scenes of suburban entitlement.

Of course, all bets are off when I get rich & famous. Then I'm TOTALLY going to the next one.

[Ainse]

Nope, I missed a big one last year. I saw all the pics on FB and that was good enough. I think it would've been a lot of this:

"Hey! What have you been up to? Married? Kids? Where do you live? What do you do? Do you still see so and so? We should totally stay in touch! Are you on FB? Twitter? Ok, GREAT seeing you! Bye!"

OVER AND OVER again every time you bumped into someone else. If they made a "Hello, my name is" sticker big enough for all that, maybe I'd go.

[meanderwithme]

I fully plan to miss mine this coming Fall.

Last Fall, I suddenly ended up with many people I knew (it would be a stretch to call them "friends") from high school on my Facebook friend list. From the items they'd post, I very quickly remembered that I hated where I lived growing up (SE Louisiana, very backward), and that I didn't fit in THEN. Now, if I'm going to travel, I'd much rather head to Houston (where I went to college) and see people there. Sure, I've changed a lot since then, too...but at least I *like* those people.

[Al_Pal]

Heh. this year would be 14 for me... I know from myspace that my class managed to hold the 10 year reunion in the 11th year~!

But yeah, I'm in touch with the one person I really want to be. (and don't list my HS!)

Great Mark Morford article the other day on this.

[krellpw]

My 20th is coming up this fall and I'm really struggling whether or not I want to go.

If my parents still lived in the area where I grew up (Northern NJ). My family and I would combine a trip to visit them with the reunion. I'd have free accomodations and built in trusted day care all rolled up in one. I'd honestly feel like I didn't have a viable reason not to go. Alas, my folks have followed my family to NC, so that's not an option. Is that a cop out? I honestly can't tell.

I'm truly enjoying catching up with much of my old high school class on facebook, but I'm also noticing that that seems to be satisfying enough for me. Just not convinced yet, that I'm compelled to make the logistical effort and take on the expenses to travel across 4 states.

Even though we catch up on Facebook, I haven't found the initiative to pick up the phone and call any of these folks and none of them have actually called me either.

Classify me as "undecided" at this point.

[school supplies]

It's just been four years since I've graduated from high school... I dunno what would happen in our 10th, 20th or 25th year HS reunion.

[lua]

I was talking with an old friend from hs the other day, and realized the 20 year reunion is next year. I did not attend the 5 year, 10 year, and don't plan on attending the 20 year. High school was fine, but I am in touch with people I want to be. I have reconnected with old friends from FB, but we have not spoken to each other on the phone. I did not list the schools I attended on my FB profile for a reason. The way I see it, I would rather spend money on my self or hanging out with friends, than being around a bunch of people I was not friends with and did not care for. To me, it would be nothing but a dog and pony show.