Have you ever reconnected with a childhood friend?

[upnorthretiree]

I’ve reconnected in a casual way with a lot of childhood friends over Facebook. Funny thing, the ones I’ve become friendly with on Facebook, I barely knew in grade school and high school. With one exception, my better friends from those times aren’t on Facebook.

I had a dear friend in middle school with whom I had completely lost touch for decades. She sent me a card following a death in my family. A couple months later, I wrote her a long catch up sort of letter. We ended up writing back and forth a few times, spaced out by several weeks, then it petered out when she never responded to my last letter. I enjoyed the correspondence and would have continued, but felt no particular grievance that she stopped. It was good to hear what had gone on in her life, she’s happy, and I’m glad for her, and it’ll just rest there. If you go into this with some flexibility, no rigid expectations, and a willingness to follow the old friend’s lead, it could be a really good, even if brief, reconnection.

[Diesel23]

I think I would be OK with an old friend reaching out. As a twist, I was a Big Brother volunteer for a long time, so I was friends with the three boys I was matched with. I was their childhood friend. Those boys, all in their 30s now, are the reason I have a Facebook account. It’s easy to find people on the Internet. I would be pleasantly startled I think if a friend from grade school or high school reached out to me.

[Maddie104]

Originally Posted by possibleyou

Thanks for the responses. I came back to give an update, a year later and I unfortunately still have not contacted my childhood best friend. I occasionally still think about this person and all the great times shared, and I miss the friendship as I remember we once had. I just wish that they would contact me first to make it easier on me but they haven’t yet. They came up as a friend suggestion under the people you may know tab on my Facebook but I was too nervous to send a friend request, however I’m starting to think that I should send a friend request and message first, because I don’t think I will be getting a friend request from them any time soon... I waited a year lol. We have several mutual friends so I think my childhood friend would have noticed me on Facebook by now and maybe is just as embarrassed as I am to reconnect (who knows). My question though is, what should I write as my first message to my childhood friend? Should I keep it short and begin with just a “Hey!” then see if they respond and chat from there? I know for a fact that this person definitely remembers me since we were so close at one point, but I just feel it’s kinda weird reaching out after all these years but with all the craziness going on in the world, I guess it’s now or never lol. I really just want to catch up with this person to see if we can reconnect and reunite our friendship. I’m aware that many people change over time and if their personality is completely different than how I remember it as, then I’m okay with leaving the past in the past and letting it go. However this childhood friend was always real and genuine to me, and good quality people are difficult to come by like that.

You might say something like I was happy to see your face book profile. It brought back some good memories. Hope you are doing well.

[lottamoxie]

Yes I have. Several re-connections being on FB and classmates seeing other classmates online. A bunch of us even posted classroom group pictures from grade school. All the way back to 1st grade. I remembered something rude I said to a classmate when we were about 10 or 11 and I apologized to her for it. She had no memory of it at all but thought the story was funny when I told her.

[msRB311]

I reconnected with a few old friends via facebook in the late 2000s. One I got together with a few times, but she lives in another state so things fizzled out again after I had kids. It was nice to reconnect.