So You want to be Friends... Really??

I think I've pretty much established that I think FaceBook is fantastic... It's been great to see the faces of people I haven't seen in eons, and it has brought many memories flooding back that have actually made me laugh out loud... but here's what I don't get...

You get to your home page and get to click on your 'invites',,, and there they are, the smiling faces of your best childhood friend, or your 1st grade 'boyfriend', and then, wait, what are they doing there..

There they are: one yesterday, a couple last week, the people who made your adolescence a living hell (and that's putting it mildly). They are the people who talked about you, spread rumors about you, frankly wouldn't give you the time of day if your last breath depended on it... and now they want to be your friend... Now I'm smart enough to know, that being 'friends' on FaceBook, does not equate to the time and investment put in to a real friendship... but I find I have been plagued by flashbacks... Flash backs of people calling me a slut... saying I slept with this person and that person and 'you should have heard about what she did at that party',,, people who snickered as I walked down the hall, people who thought it was funny to yell 'Wide Load' behind a person who at 5'9" only weighed 115 pounds... People who thought it would be a fantastic idea to rally all the friends together and ignore me for days on end... because you had nothing better to do... I could go on and on and on,,, but am determined not to give you one more minute of my time than I already have.... after I have finished with this post...

But now you want to be my friend... Hmmmmm.... did you actually think that I would click on my invites and be happy to see your face?? Oh, how lucky am I that now you want to be my friend... Do you really think I give a crap what you're doing, or who you married or where you work? There's actually some of you that have made your way onto my list simply because I had at some point decided to take the high road... But guess what.. Screw you...

I know I should be adult about this,,, I know that in the big scheme of things, none of this really matters.... I know that all the crap every single one of you put me through has made me into the person I am, and value the things I do, and value the true friends I have even more. But know this,,, Not every person has the self confidence to stand up to the cruelty of their peers. Not every person has the strength to stay friends with the people they have known since they were 5, even though they weren't the cool people... Not every person has the strength to walk away from adolescence unscathed...

This is what I hope for you, as you eagerly post pictures of your kids, wanting to show us how normal you turned out to be,,,,

I want you to think back to all the things you said and did in High School. I want you to think back to every snide comment, every accidental shove as you walked past in the hall, every rumor you started or spread, even though you really knew it wasn't true.... Now I want you to think about all of that directed at that sweet innocent child you have so eagerly posted that picture of,,, think about how you will comfort that child when they come home crying, hating who they are simply because someone else doesn't like them... Think about what you will say to them about how cruel kids can be. What will you do if you realize your child is the one who is tormenting others,,, will you address it or will you simply think how fantastic it is that they take after you....

Truly, I do wish you the best in life... I honestly wouldn't want anything bad to come to any of you or your children or those that you love... But although I would like to say 'I am above it all'... I can hold a grudge... If I never see or talk to any of you again it will be too soon...

Best Regards....