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Why not just buy more candy? We buy enough for everyone. It doesn't hurt the younger kids to have older kids or teens out, too.
I think the point made earlier by at least one person about teens being pushed too early to act like adults is a good one; I think teens should certainly be taking on responsibilities and transitioning into adulthood, but trick-or-treating is a nice last gasp of childhood. Let them enjoy it. I think that goes doubly now that Halloween costumes for adults (and even kids!) have so often become overly sexualized. Adult-style Halloween these days (for women, anyway) seems to be generally about wearing the most stripper-like costume available. I'll happily buy an extra bag of candy if it means high school kids can enjoy being a kid for a night rather than be pushed into a culture that promotes Halloween as a time to get wild and wear "naughty" costumes.
That if i give it to them then i will run out for the little children...there are plenty of Halloween themed events for teens that they can allow the little ones their enjoyment.
Have you any conception how much i spend on candy each year? I'm not spending more because teens feel the need to keep doing something meant for children.
I look at Halloween as one HUGE opportunity to make friends with anyone who might be the potential neighborhood trouble maker. And I give out little Snickers bars. Two apiece. To everyone who comes to the door. Little kids. Mom. Dad. Twenty year old cousin who has probably done time. Everyone is met with a simile and a wave and some chit-chat and a "Yo! Bruh!" if appropriate.
Have never had my house egged. The guys with tatoos wave when I drive by for the rest of the year. I'm happy. They're happy.
I went trick-or-treating until I was around 15 (sophomore year, maybe?). I think it's fine, as long as they're wearing costumes. The older kids aren't any weirder than the parents with tiny babies too young to eat candy still collecting it. (I'm guilty of that, too; we couldn't resist going to a few houses to introduce my then-younger son to the wonders of trick-or-treating, even if he was too young to "get" it, or to eat most of it.) It might have been too old, but I liked getting dressed up and getting candy! There's also more of a social neighborhood aspect to going door-to-door that you don't find at formal Halloween parties. A lot of older kids also go with their younger siblings, which seems like a win-win situation; the parents can stay home and do door duty while the older brother or sister serves as babysitter.
I agree that where we've lived the sign for "no more candy" was an extinguished pumpkin and porch light off.
As a general question: what time does trick-or-treating start in other areas? The original poster says "after 5 pm," which suggests people starting before that; I haven't paid too much attention, but I think around here trick-or-treating doesn't even really get started until about that time. It really seems to be from around 5 to 8, with the bulk of the action not getting started until closer to 6. (I'll pay more attention this year, especially since we're in a different neighborhood) Does that vary widely by town or city, too?
In my city in suburban Denver, it is similar to your area. There aren't a ton of adults home before 6 PM to give out the candy. It's more fun for the kids to go out in the dark. We usually turn off the light around 8 PM.
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Originally Posted by strawflower
Our city's trick or treating is from 4-6 which I really like, since it's still light out at that time.
Who is at home at 4 PM?
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Originally Posted by highway29south
I stopped going when I was 13. My oldest daughter is 13 this year and I think this might be her last year going out. It's getting tough to find a costume that will fit her!
I went as the Unknown Comic for my last year (that really tells my age, doesn't it?) trick or treating. I thought it was better I didn't show my face because of my age, but I still got a lot of nasty comments about being too old to be trick or treating. Just the area I lived in I guess
Teens can dress up in anything. There are adult costumes (some of which are pricey) in the Halloween stores. A little ingenuity goes a long way. My younger daughter was a gymnast, and went as such one year. She just wore her leotard and warm ups, hung a medal around her neck.
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Originally Posted by cleasach
Geez. My question had nothing to do with seeing teens as adults. I was simply asking because when I grew up (and I'm very close to your age) we stopped at about 12 and it's only within the last few years that I've seen older teens trick or treating so I figured I'd ask if this was common in other areas.
In the 28 years that we've lived in this city, we've always had teens. When we lived in Denver, 2 years prior to moving here, it was mostly little kids, but there were LOTS of them! We had to go replenish the candy one year.
ETA: When my daughter and her friend went out at ages 15 and 16 one year, they picked up some babysitting jobs!
Just wondering how old the Trick or Treating crowd is where you live.
Here, there are kids who-- to me-- are way too old for Trick or Treating. Last year my mother had dozens of older teens ringing her doorbell, some ringing after 8 p.m. She stopped answering the bell at 7.
I remember that we stopped doing this at about age 12. Not sure if things have changed since then but the bulk of the kids ringing bells after 5 p.m. are a good bit older than that.
Is Trick or Treating mainly an activity for small kids where you live?
No. Lots of trick-or-treaters here are around 6 foot tall. The way I see it, it's just kids still trying to have some last minute fun, and stretch out their childhood a little longer. It's a little harder seeing the teen mothers out trick-or-treating with their babies in stollers since they seemed willing to give up childhood.
Why not just buy more candy? We buy enough for everyone. It doesn't hurt the younger kids to have older kids or teens out, too.
I think the point made earlier by at least one person about teens being pushed too early to act like adults is a good one; I think teens should certainly be taking on responsibilities and transitioning into adulthood, but trick-or-treating is a nice last gasp of childhood. Let them enjoy it. I think that goes doubly now that Halloween costumes for adults (and even kids!) have so often become overly sexualized. Adult-style Halloween these days (for women, anyway) seems to be generally about wearing the most stripper-like costume available. I'll happily buy an extra bag of candy if it means high school kids can enjoy being a kid for a night rather than be pushed into a culture that promotes Halloween as a time to get wild and wear "naughty" costumes.
That's the way I see it, there are good wholesome kids and some might be 6 ft tall or more at age 14 or 15 - but let them have a little more fun.
we have lots of trick or treaters; often the parents or older siblings take out the youngest. Its a nice family night and everyone can have candy as far as I am concerned. There is no age limit really but it is for little kids overall mostly.
Have you any conception how much i spend on candy each year? I'm not spending more because teens feel the need to keep doing something meant for children.
They are children. Why would you begrudge them a few pieces of candy? Are you seriously that cheap? What would you rather they do, drink beer at the beach and drive home drunk?
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) trick or treating. I thought it was better I didn't show my face because of my age, but I still got a lot of nasty comments about being too old to be trick or treating. Just the area I lived in I guess
