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Homecoming Redux

Having your kids go to the same school as you did – and having some of the same teachers – makes for an instant nostalgia trip every time you walk in the door. And so it is these days whenever I make my way to Milton High School.

In some cases, I have not seen these teachers in close to 30 years. Memories of young bushy-headed men are replaced with the new reality of their Danny DeVito look. One teacher that my children refer to as “Old (Name)” was anything but when I was roaming the hallways as a student. Time not only changes appearances, but apparently heals all wounds, as I found out when both my kids had a teacher that I feared would not fondly recall my time in her classroom.

Last week, Milton celebrated its Homecoming and thoughts of Homecoming Past crept back into my consciousness.

My kids' participation levels somewhat mirror the enthusiasm of the parent with whom they share a gender. My daughter Corinne, who is a senior, absolutely loves the week of activities. My son Rob, a sophomore, doesn't quite approach her level of excitement. Corinne spent hours planning costumes to wear for each of the dress-up days that took place during the week. Rob, needing something purple for Class Color Day, simply grabbed his sister's purple electric guitar and slung it over his shoulder. A pretty creative solution, I thought. I was reminded of my senior year, when for Dress-Up Day, I just grabbed whatever mismatched clothes I could find along with an old man mask. This getup resulted in my being immortalized in the 1980 high school yearbook.

Corinne went to the dance - she has gone to more high school dances in the last six months (two) than I went to in four years (one) – while Rob entertained a rec room full of friends playing Halo and Guitar Hero. It was during Rob's party that I realized how much things really have changed in 30 years.

I never went to a Homecoming dance, but I attended a post-Homecoming party during my senior year. This particular get-together was a Roman toga party, the idea of which came from the popular movie, “National Lampoon's Animal House.” Yes, “Animal House” is 30 years old. I can't believe it, either.

The friend who hosted the party had a lot of space to work with and he took great pains to give his place an “Animal House” feel. Pictures of John Belushi were on the wall. An old jukebox (that my friend still owns) was filled with 45 RPM records of songs used in the film, like “Shout” and “Louie Louie.” And of course, most of the participants wore bedsheets. I recall my mother sorting wash a few days later, asking me how my nice white bedsheet got so filthy. I don't think “toga party” was part of my answer.

The party was great fun. But with the benefit of looking back 30 years and becoming a parent myself, there's one aspect of it that frightens me now. If you've seen “Animal House,” you know where this is going and what else was copied from the film. The BIG difference between my kids' Homecoming activities and mine was the presence of alcohol, mainly because at that time, the legal drinking age in Wisconsin was 18.

I'm not naïve enough to think that there weren't high schoolers celebrating Homecoming this weekend with underage drinking. But when you can legally consume alcohol at 18, well, that's one less reason not to. And when you're not yet 18, but your classmates are, that's easy access. I've come to truly appreciate the raising of the legal drinking age to 21, and the increased focus on responsible behavior thanks to groups like Partners in Prevention.

I will never complain about being up until all hours in the morning because a bunch of teenagers are loudly playing Guitar Hero or watching movies in my rec room. My kids are making smart choices, and I am very proud of them. But just the same, I am still glad that the temptation of “It's OK, it's legal” is not part of their high school experience.

At least the toga party didn't result in a rash of impaired drivers being unleashed on the rural roads of Milton. My recollection is that almost all of us – and certainly anyone who had overenjoyed the evening – slept over.

Because otherwise, it could have been a very unhappy Homecoming.