This June is my 11 year high school reunion. Don't ask. We graduates of such a fine institution as Ridgewood Preparatory School do things a wee bit differently. Honestly, I've been told, our class reunion is being combined with the class of 2000 in hopes that more alumni will attend. I'm down with that. Not that anyone asked for my 2 cents, but ours was a small Metry school. That's Metairie for you non-natives.
So, last week the invite came in the mail asking me to be a part of the walk down memory lane this coming June 5th at some joint in downtown N'awlins. And again, this is my blog, where I will only occasionally unload what's really on my mind. I know; I NEVER do that on facebook, do I? And I also know that there are many fellow RPS grads with whom I am friends on facebook, and they probably don't even know it. But if you are aware, I am about to dump on some things about high school. So, there. You've been warned.
High school is somewhat challenging for the less popular crowd. I was mainly there because I knew it would take 4 years to get out of that hole, but I did manage to make a few friends along the way. I can remember vividly every year on my birthday being called to the office by Ms. Saunders. I wonder if she's still there like MJ is? And there waiting for me would be flowers and a cookie cake, courtesy of my wonderful parents. They always picked up the slack for their shy, not very popular daughter, and made me feel like a million bucks. I love them. And I love them for loving me for who I was and am.They really are the best, and no, you can't have them. And then it would begin. I would open that box of sugary goodness after lunch to share with my group of friends who ate under the shade of that courtyard tree daily, only to be repeatedly harrassed by classmates who never gave me the time of day otherwise. Humor me. "Elizzzzzabeth! Can I have a piece, pleeeeeaaaase?" Oh, how you bug me. But I'm too nice to tell you no because I want DESPERATELY to be accepted by the cool crowd. Why I ever thought that the girls who ate lunch with the stupid football players were cool, I'll never know. And I'm also now brave enough to tell you that I HATE cheerleaders. I didn't hate all of them. Just most of them. They looked down on me. I always thought I had something on my face when I was around their laser eyes. Anyway...
One of my kiddos' preschool teachers told me that I should totally go to my reunion because all the kids who were flakes in high school will still be flakes, and it would be amusing for me. While I agree that it would be amusing, I fear that I would tell these particular Plastics off. In front of other people.
Having children has changed many things about me. But one of the most significant changes has been to my crap filter, as I call it. If I am given unsolicited advice by strangers concerning my children, it doesn't end well for them. "Yes, she's screaming. And unless you're going to take her home and work your magic, BACK OFF."
So, all this to say, that I will not be attending my 11 year high school reunion. I've got more fun things to do with my life now. And here they are. Well, they're actually at the top of this post. And they are the world to me. Who needs to go be all fake with people who only spoke to you when it involved dessert on your birthday?
Oh, Elizabeth, are you my twin? I had a similar high school experience, and I DID make the mistake of attending my 10 year reunion. Geez, it was just like reliving all the crap I hated in high school! gah! Stay home. Go on a date. Visit your parents. ANYTHING to avoid attend the reunion!
ReplyDeleteSo when, in choosing a private school for Charley to attend this fall, Tom says, "I want her to have the whole 'school experience'," I just cringed! He loved High School, I hated it!
Carol, I'm down with the whole school experience thing. My question is why must we be both in high school AND teenagers simultaneously? It's sabotage, I tell you.
ReplyDeleteI went to my 10 year high school reunion. My first and my last. High school is an intimidating, eternal, terrifying, humbling, traumatic, character building experiment. I had some fun, but am glad I have never had to endure anything like that again. Plastic. That's a good word. Many of those plastic people are now divorced or dead. I suppose I should go to my ??th reunion this summer to
ReplyDeleteshow that even the ugly and awkward survive and, by the grace of a loving God, can have a wonderful, loving, fantastic life! I am living proof!
Mom, you're neither ugly or awkward. So zip it. I had no idea that you went to your tenth reunion. I just learned something new.
ReplyDeleteOh Liz, I had no idea you had such a bad experience in high school. Kids can be soooo cruel!! Those years are definate character builders, to say the very least, but, I must say I really enjoyed reading your blog and do hope you'll write more!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and just for the record, even though my little ones are soon to be 22 and 20, their abosolute favorite birthday cake is STILL, that's right, COOKIE CAKE!!!
It wasn't awful awful, just not the most pleasant experience at times. Itdefinitely built character though. Good way of putting it.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many people really LOVED their HS. I happen to cut my hair short during HS and immediately was gay. We all know that if your hair is short there is no way that you could be normal and like boys.
ReplyDeleteI didn't attend my official reunion but the get together at the bar the day before. It was still the same cliques and the funny thing is most of the "beautiful and skinny" people weren't so much skinny and beautiful, but plastic!!! I am glad to know that there are people out there that had similar experiences and are just fine and are talking about it. I happen to not care what people thought about me then either...I now have this disease of foot in mouth and will tell people what I think...I am still perfecting the delivery!!!
Thanks for sharing, Teri. I do have friends who loved high school. I just wonder how honest they're being. Rich told me I needed to move past this stuff that was apparently bothering me. It doesn't bother me regularly; I'm not that shalllow. I hope? It's just on the front burner because of my reunion. :)
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