To wonder if any of you have gone to your school reunions

[Behindthepaintedgarden]

and what were they like?

Trying to decide whether to go to mine, or not.

My first one was when we were late 50s. Which is nice because by then we were all wrinkled, the men bald and unrecognizable the kids long left home so it was just how are you? or 'how sad to hear about so and so' --- and not- my DC's just completed her masters in astrophysics/ we have a beautiful villa in X / or who is wearing the biggest diamond.

I went to our 25th year reunion. It's amazing the memories that come flooding back when a whole group of you get together.

I turned up to mini reunion that I wasn't actually invited to (just happened to be in the same pub at the same time) and re-met my now DH!

If id been invited though I probably wouldn't have gone.

I've heard that later reunions are better because people have gone past the stage of justifying themselves by their careers, degrees, etc and are just genuinely interested in re-establishing contact with people they grew up with.

I went to a reunion once, refused the second. The first was mind numbing for the most part. A few great people (who I was still in contact with anyway via fb) showed, we chatted then they had to leave early. They'd been to the one before and knew to leave early before the cliquyness and forced politeness started. I left after an hour, grabbed a takeaway and enjoyed a night watching 'Bones' on TV.

The next I ignored mainly because the woman organising had been a real controlling spiteful bully at school and I had caught glimpses of that in her rudeness and bitchiness towards others at the reunion I'd been to.

All the people I loved from school I'm in contact with, for anyone else there's facebook and I've met up with a couple for dinner after communicating on that for a bit first. I think reunions are pretty overrated and an excuse for some to continue the playground behaviour they indulged in as kids and obviously never left.

I cannot imagine why I would go to a school reunion.

I wasn't really interested then and I don't give a fuck now. If I'd wanted to spend time with them I'd have kept in touch,

No. Pointless.

A few thought from my school reunion 2 years ago. The school has changed a lot, it was a convent, no nuns now, just teachers. The Head Girl when I was 11, is now the Head Teacher We took a tour of the school and I couldn't believe how tiny the classrooms looked!! I remember them to be huge, and the corridors so much bigger than reality.

Do people stick to the groups they were in at school?

People did naturally gravitate towards the girls in their year, yes, because that where their memories were. I expect people who were firm friends at school will probably have kept in touch after they left. So it did feel cliquey. I was Billy No-mates at school, so I did feel on the margins.

Had people changed much?
Not as much as I thought - most were very recognisable. Many were a lot nicer (kinder, more friendly etc) than I remember them at school. I had lots of family issues when I was going through school which made me unhappy, with low self-esteem,so I know for sure people didn't see me at my best!

Was there much showing off? Proving how well they'd done in life?

I didn't experience much showing off (you get more 'boasty' stuff on Facebook), they seemed to talk about the past a lot, things we used to get up to, less about the here-and-now. Many brought their DCs with them - who were mostly very well-behaved and a credit to them.

It was a fascinating experience, but I felt weirdly detached, maybe to protect myself from a bad era in my life. I'm glad I've moved on, and don't think I need to go again.

Meant to add, the funniest bit was walking around the school playing field, and seeing the same painted-on running track on the field.

Imagine doing the 100 metres sprint uphill - that was how much of a clue the nuns had about athletics. And of course the obligatory "slow bike race" on sports day each year.

I went to my 20 year one. It was lovely actually and quite a diverse bunch attended, not just friends who went along with their friends. Everyone mingled and chatted. Wasn't expecting that. It was not very well attended though, considering a lot of people are local (I'm not, but DM lives in my home town) and I think a few people were too nervous to go. But it's got around that everyone who went enjoyed themselves and there is a move to organise another (not me thank god)

I couldn't think of anything more excruciating tbh.

The last two years my mates at school were just that school mates. All my best mates and the people I was closest to went to different schools, I'd already moved on.
In fact I am no longer in touch with anyone from my teenage years and am not really interested in what they are doing now

Yes it was fun. I went to the 20 and the 30 year ones. Just make sure you're sitting with the people you really want to chat to - life's too short to spend it with people you've lost touch with.

I've been to 2 and loved them both but I've gone through life with a lot of my school friends. We kept in touch after school and few of us went to the same Uni. 4 of us work together at the primary school we went to and we all have taught school friends children.

There were only a few people there that I kept my distance from. They were still arses 25 years later.

Well, my favourite movie is Grosse Pointe Blank, so unless Jon Cusack was likely to show up and snog me in the nurse's office, then I doubt I'd get anything from it

I never even got invited to mine! Apparently it was a few years ago, a couple of my old school friends were talking about it on FB, I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. My dad still lives at the same house I grew up in so they could have sent me an invite. Obviously I'm that memorable then.

People do this! Thought it was american film thing.... (Wonders why my school never done one)

Yes. It was awful. It just served to remind me that I had nothing in common with people I went to school with & why I was miserable most of the time.

I roared out of school on the back of a large motorbike and never looked back.
Not a chance I'd willingly set foot in the place again.

I end up at a school reunion when I go out drinking

I see some if I just walk to the shop

I wouldn't go to one set up especially

My old school has a Development Office and actually employs people to organise school reunions. I went to the 20 year one and I'm going to the 25 year one later this year. Tour of the school, bubbly and 3 course meal for £25. I'm looking forward to it.

SomewhereIBelong

I went to one - School was on a Scottish island.

DH went to one of those last year. Was it near an RAF base?

Giddy - are you Tucker from Grange Hill?

Four - no, and it was ... some time ago- despite it being 30 years on.. I feel really old....

Like FuckItBucket if I go out it's like a school reunion, if I go to Tesco there's always someone there. Nobody moves from our small, crappy town.

I went to a 10 year one about 5 years ago, am still in contact with lots of peole but many I don't see regularly. I enjoyed it, I liked catching up with them. High school wasn't the highlight of my life or anything but I remember the people fairly fondly. We got drunk & smoked cigarettes, it was just like sixth form.

The concept of school reunions is a bit redundant now isn't it in the age of fb, twitter and google?

I know what most people from school are doing now. Not because I'm friends with many of them but because so much of people's lives are searchable. I imagine the people who aren't probably wouldn't turn up to a reunion.

I hated school and had no friends by the time I left.

But I would definitely go to a reunion. old scores to settle lol