Picture is of my school days.
One of the surest signs of aging I have are my daughters' friends. During my daughters' high school years I also worked at their school. So apart from their school friends coming in and out of our home I got to know them independently in my office at the school.
Now they're all oldish people on Facebook, some are bald even, I'm sure many can be nudging closer to - gasp - grandparenting as their kids hit their twenties.
But all the predictions we had about these kids are so not accurate. The ones we thought would have 6 kids, have none, the ones we thought would be wealthy lawyers are poets, the high school sweetheart marriages we predicted would break up within a year are still solid as a rock and the ones we worried about because of the intolerant world we live in are out and proud.
There's something heartbreakingly poignant about school photos isn't there? I look at the wonder and the hope on all those lovely young faces in my daughters' high school class pictures and think, oh please! come join us here at the other side. Intact. Survivors.
So which one is you, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteYes, it's funny to think those youngsters have their whole lives ahead of them and nobody yet knows how well or badly they'll get on. And as you say, the most confident predictions can be totally wrong.
Survivors - isn't it what we all are in some way? I'm in the process of writing brief descriptions mailed in by old classmates as we prepare for out 46th high school reunion - only a few of us followed the yearbook predictions and we all look infinitely older!
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of a TV series "7 Up" in the UK many years ago (1964 onward). They took a group kids aged 7 and followed their life's progress each 7 years via a new episode of the show. I loved that show!
ReplyDeleteIt was fascinating to see how differently the kids turned out from their early indioations.
A little googling threw up that there's a DVD (must have it!) and a new episode coming up when kids are 56 in 2011 or 2012.
Wiki link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_Series
Nick:
ReplyDeleteI'll keep you guessing on that one!
Yes, we get to see these generations growing and aging and we think we know how everything works out but we sure don't!
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Pauline:
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating project, will you do a chap book on this? It would be amazing reading...
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Oh T:
ReplyDeleteI remember it vividly! I think I got to the nineties somewhere, some had already died. One was mentally ill, I think it was a while ago when I saw it. I'd love to have the complete series and I'm off to Wiki now to find out more!
Thanks for the reminder.
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I bet you are the short one with the impish smile!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post - again!
PC:
ReplyDeleteHa ha! She became the nun!!!
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