Do Aspies enjoy reunions?

[Aspieistj]

I can't believe my 75 year old "sort of friend" is exhausted because she has been so busy from her involvement in a 55 year reunion. My Aspieness shudders to think of all the socializing and phony behavior that goes into a reunion. I have NEVER been to one. I recall my mother going to a high school reunion and how she lectured my father about what to say and do. It seemed to me that all the people did was compare their long term lives to those of the other attendees. I know my mother was extremely aware and snobby about the fact that she still weighed her graduation day weight. She berated my father because he was only a truck driver and a poor dancer. She recalled every dance she had with anyone and made it clear her life did not work out as she had hoped. I didn't really like many of the 315 members of my graduating class and have no desire to rekindle relationships after 53 years. I guess I will never comprehend what is so satisfying about "socializing." Any Aspie reactions?

 

[Progster]

I've never been to a reunion, not do I have any desire or curiosity to attend one. There's only about 2, or maybe 3 people in my school who I wouldn't mind seeing again. I spent much of my adult life trying to forget about school and the people there and I don't need to be reminded of it. I'm really not interested in my classmates and I'm not curious to know about their lives.

However, I did meet up with a school friend a couple of years ago, one who stuck by me all through my years there, and I must say that she hadn't changed that much in terms of personality and I enjoyed seeing her again.

 

[pax]

I went to (I think ) my ten year reunion of my year 10 (fourth form) class. It wasn't all bad. But all the same cliques tended to stay together which was kinda funny. They had a competition for who in our class (religous all girl school) had the most interesting job. Sex shop worker. She won. I had a lot more people in my year 10 class that I got along with. My year 11-12 years were spent at a different school that was very cliquey. I did not go to the 10 year reunion and the 20 year reunion is coming up. No intention of going. I can't remember most of the people and I dont see the point of "rekindling" friendships I never had to begin with. It was so fake and superficial then, so I can't imagine what it would be like now.

 

[Nitro]

I tried to get involved on my thirtieth reunion,but those that were in charge of it failed horribly and it got canceled. I made the suggestion that possibly some of us could meet at our own function and proposed my idea on Classmates. One of my former classmates decided it would be a great idea and took off with my idea,gathered more interest and they held a reunion at the location I suggested. She gave all the credit to the man that screwed up the first plan,then went on to tell everyone how much thought and work she put into getting it off the ground. I blew it off and went to Norwalk Ohio to the dragraces instead of "their" reunion. I realized that nothing from school had changed and those that were the popular kids still treated the ones they considered inferior were still viewed the same way. The funny part of all this is that I went on to become one of the greatest success stories of my alma mater...

 

[Slithytoves]

I don't do any kind of reunions, period. My maternal family has a reunion every other year and I haven't attended for that last ten of them. I don't go to weddings anymore, either. Funerals I will do, out of respect for the family and the deceased.

I generally don't like living so far from my family (12-14 hour drive), but it's very convenient when it's invitation time. The small talk and dressing up are literally physically uncomfortable to me. I get quiet and my temper shortens. It's better for everybody that I just stay home.

 

[On the Inside]

I finally went to a high school reunion last summer, I don't think I'll go to another. In this case, it turned out to be an all school reunion, and there were only 14 from my class, the rest were all older than us (we were the last class to graduate before the school was closed).

I drove around the area for a while, building up my resolve to go, I could have bailed easily.

While I enjoyed seeing a few people, one of whom was surprisingly pleasant to talk with, it felt like most of the other social functions, meaning that I stand around waiting for something different to happen, get bored, then wander around to see if there is something interesting to look at. It wasn't until I was thinking about leaving when I ran into someone who was also from the old neighborhood. We had a good conversation.

I guess it was worth the time spent, but again, I don't think I need to go to another.

I do enjoy family reunions, though they are few and far between. My family on my mom's side are really nice, and the events are always low key.

 

[Alysha]

I do not plan to attend my high school reunion...no interest whatsoever! Lol
I do enjoy my family reunions though, have 1 coming up next month. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I like food, so that sends me off to most reunions. I'm also pretty curious in seeing how the body changes as it ages, so I don't mind going to reunions for that bit of research since familiar bodies make a good base.

Funerals are second nature because I practically grew up in a funeral home. I think everybody my family knew and half the family too decided to drop dead in my first ten years. One of many reasons I joke that I am the Grim Reaper, people don't live long around me.

Weddings... are awkward. I've only been to two, one of which was mine. What do you do at the wedding? There's lots of weird-smelling flowers and there are mandatory dresses to wear like a funeral, but that's about the end of the similarities.

No highschool reunions for me! I was homeschooled. I don't need a special occasion to torment my mom and sister!

 

[Judge]

High School reunions? No. Never. That strikes me as a social ritual....which in general I abhor.

We did have a family reunion of sorts back in the summer of 1978 which will always be dear to me. When my entire family visited our closest relatives in Southern California. Only four months later, my father passed away. He had a great time, and I still have the photos to prove it. And I got to spend time with one of my cousins, who was always my closest relative...more like a sister than a cousin. She passed away in 1997.

 

[On the Inside]

I like food, so that sends me off to most reunions.

That's it, in a nutshell. With a particular fondness for "church basement" style food.

I am also fascinated by how time and lifestyle choices affect the body, mind and spirit, so seeing people that I haven't seen for a long time, especially those I've known since childhood is a curious wonder.

 

[Harrison]

This particular aspie never goes to reunions, and never will.

It's bad enough that I don't recall faces or names without being dropped into a puddle of people that have known me.

 

[ASD_Geek]

I've been to my 10 year high school reunion. It was very interesting. I spent most of the time talking with my wife with a couple people came by and said hi. I did spend a lot of time talking to a girl that I went to school with. At the end of the day I found out that the girl I was talking to was actually one of the girls I that I really didn't get along with in school. I just couldn't recognize who she was. Admittedly I spent the entire time trying to figure out who she was while she recounted some stories.

I have not been to a reunion since and probably will not go to any future ones.

 

[Flinty]

OK, so the word "reunion" can be divided into two parts: "re" meaning again and "union" meaning a group in which one feels togetherness. And since this is the case neither with any school class I was part of nor with any family unit, there is no way in which a "reunion" can realistically involve me.

 

[Beverly]

I did one class reunion NEVER again - that was a nightmare, the snobs were bigger snobs and, the dweebs were bigger dweebs and, I was still the off ball they called "Sasquatch" (Because of my native American Heritage and thick hair.) Only now "Sasquatch" had glasses so, I'm "Four Eyed Sasquatch" LOL - Okay it wasn't funny then but I can laugh it off now and, claim the monicker happily

Now band reunions, that's another story. I've been to several as a guest of one of the members and, those are amazing, fun, loud, accepting, friendly, everything I hoped a reunion would be. I'll attend those any chance I get.

 

[umbrellabeach]

I went to a family reunion once when I was a kid. I remember it being mostly boring but I met one cousin (I think) of mine that I really liked, so we spent a lot of time together. (She wasn't even a kid.) At some point one of my aunts took me and my brothers to a store and while there she bought me my first Disney storybook collection. That was summer 2006, when my well-known Disney obsession was launching (though I wouldn't "discover" Mickey & friends for about another year & a half).
In September 2012 there was supposed to be a reunion of employees of the store I worked at. I was really looking forward to it because I likes my coworkers a lot and wanted to socialize with them a little outside of busy work before I moved away. On the day it was supposed to happen my mom drove me to the place the flyer had said, but no one was there. We drove around for a while before going home. I was really disappointed. :/

 

[Larisa]

I have never been to my school reunions, but I attended one of my university reunion.
In my school years I was so constantly tired and overloaded with studing, I never noticed that I'm not social.
I had only one friend from my school years - with whom I went to the university later.
I never missed communicating with my former classmates and when I got curious about them - I looked at their profiles in the social network without attracting attention to myself.
My reunion in the university was very formal - it was organized for their current students to look forward to glorious future with cool jobs. I felt very awkward (I'm an accountant and there is nothing glorious about it) and I left as soon as I could.

 

[Duane Wyatt]

I can't believe my 75 year old "sort of friend" is exhausted because she has been so busy from her involvement in a 55 year reunion. My Aspieness shudders to think of all the socializing and phony behavior that goes into a reunion. I have NEVER been to one. I recall my mother going to a high school reunion and how she lectured my father about what to say and do. It seemed to me that all the people did was compare their long term lives to those of the other attendees. I know my mother was extremely aware and snobby about the fact that she still weighed her graduation day weight. She berated my father because he was only a truck driver and a poor dancer. She recalled every dance she had with anyone and made it clear her life did not work out as she had hoped. I didn't really like many of the 315 members of my graduating class and have no desire to rekindle relationships after 53 years. I guess I will never comprehend what is so satisfying about "socializing." Any Aspie reactions?

I can relate very well. I had a stress meltdown at my wifes family reunion a couple years ago

 

[tfwo]

I've never been to any reunions. I've considered going to my 20 year class reunion, but figured that I would be more stress than in would be worth. I have little in common to talk about with most people.

 

[Walsie]

I can't believe my 75 year old "sort of friend" is exhausted because she has been so busy from her involvement in a 55 year reunion. My Aspieness shudders to think of all the socializing and phony behavior that goes into a reunion. I have NEVER been to one. I recall my mother going to a high school reunion and how she lectured my father about what to say and do. It seemed to me that all the people did was compare their long term lives to those of the other attendees. I know my mother was extremely aware and snobby about the fact that she still weighed her graduation day weight. She berated my father because he was only a truck driver and a poor dancer. She recalled every dance she had with anyone and made it clear her life did not work out as she had hoped. I didn't really like many of the 315 members of my graduating class and have no desire to rekindle relationships after 53 years. I guess I will never comprehend what is so satisfying about "socializing." Any Aspie reactions?

Your mother seems a superficial, critical person. Your poor dad.

Ya, that's what people would do, hoisting themselves up the social totem pole once again.

Primary: maybe. There's a boy I'd like to catch up with. He was small, bright, mischievous and wasn't into sport like the other boys. We sat next to each other (when the teachers did the boy-girl-boy set-up), and got along like a house on fire.

Secondary school: probably no. Nobody would inquire after me, they'd be more interested in my sister's business, who was in the same grade and much more popular. Girls and teachers treated me as my sister's messenger. Back then, I pretended ignorance, but that would be awkward at a reunion, and I wouldn't want to tell them any of her business if she doesn't bother to attend. From a psychological standpoint, I'm curious about how everyone turned out, though, and I would amuse myself watching them scramble up that pole.

I still see my two friends whenever I go home, and everyone else on FB if I wanted to. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the teachers again; not because they were great, but because they're older. Some would be dead by now.

 

[ancusmitis]

I wouldn't go to my highschool reunion for any amount of money, mostly because of one person, but I also don't want to see the people I used to get high with. It would be awkward. In some cases, it was already awkward back when I was still getting high. Yeesh. No thanks.