My house is in a neighborhood with about 40 kids per block. I think it’s something in the water. Kids have been coming to the door for free sugar for about 2.5 hours now. I have given candy to around 75-80 so far. At least half go like this:
ding dong
Mooch: Happy Halloween!
Ghoulish Sponge Bob or Something:…
Mooch: Oohhh great costume.
GSBS: How many do I get?
Goddamnit, how many do you get? Is this new? I’m not talking about the really little ones or the shy ones. I think these are just the greedy, entitled malcontented ones.
My wife and I have only owned a house for a short period of time, and we are the youngest couple on the block so it’s not like we’re the scary old couple in the creepy ass house.
I love kids and Halloween and dressing up and giving out candy, but I just had to vent. A little. Oh yeah, is thank you too much to ask as well? Shit.
I know what you mean, though I didn’t notice this until last year. They act like they’re at a buffet (“No, I don’t want that one; I want that other kind”).
I swear, tonight I’m going to tell them “Take it or leave it” if they turn up their noses at the free offerings.
Your username made reading these a little difficult, as I view the T or T-ers as the Mooches.
Do they say that before or after you’ve given them their tribute. If before, close the door. Even better if you know the kid and observe from the window. Won’t Li’l Joey’s parents be proud when you file a police report for vandalism?
This is one of the few reasons I really like St. Louis. The kids all do a trick or treat before getting candy, even the teen-agers. They either tell a bad punny joke (see the recent joke threads, I’ve heard them all) or they do a song and dance type routine. Then candy ensues, kids say thank you and away they go.
They’re usually rude after. Plus - we just got a new car. I don’t feel like washing frozen egg off of it in the morning. I just wanted to share my irritation. The kids we know have been polite.
I just had three teenagers (16-18) show up at my doorstep in nothing but tighty whiteys and sandals demanding candy. I opened the door and they just held out their bags without saying a word.
When I was in high school, I was tasked with handing out the candy. And I had a system. The nce ones got a full-sized Three Musketeers Bar. The entitled ones got a dirty penny and an admonishment not to eat the penny. If a parent complained about a kid getting a dirty penny, the parent got a lecture from a 16 year old punk with acne. “I owe your spawn nothing and you’re setting a horrible precedent that acting like an ass and then crying about it is the way to get what they want. It’s people like that who are ruining this country! My parents taught me manners; is it really to hard to convince your kids that they should act appreciative that strangers are giving them free candy just because they’re dressed like SpongeBob? You disgust me. GET OFF OF MY LAWN!”
That was the last year I was allowed to hand out candy.
My latest from a bat-girl with wingy bat wings, dad in the background with her coat so she could show us her costume. (It’s fucking freezing here tonight, gratuituous swearing cause we’re in the pit):
Mayo, if you were my kid, I would have increased your allowance for that.
I just had my first trick-or-treater for the night, and not only did she say “Thank you” but her mom that was walking with her did, too. I’ve never had any kids comment about the type of candy, except for the one girl who said “Oh, yes, Kit-Kats are my life!” when she got a Kit-Kat. When we were kids, we took whatever we got and then went home and traded away the candies we didn’t like. How will kids build character without the traditional candy-trading sessions?
They’re showing solidarity with these girls with their Captain Underpants costumes. This does not, however, forgive their rudeness. Personally, I would have waited until they gave a proper “Trick or Treat”, but I’m an ass.
A dad and his three little daughters just left. The little ones all said thank you after they took one each, while the dad grabbed a huge fucking fistful and mumbled thanks through his Scream mask. Nice example, ass.
I had a mom show up accompanying a fairy princess (I think). She showed me a picture of another child and said, “I’ve got one at home with the stomach flu. I’m collecting her candy for her.” I don’t know that I’ve ever had a parent prove they were collecting for a sick kid before.
All of our ghouls said thank you. This is better than last year, of course, when I bought a bunch of candy & NO ONE showed up. I’m on a diet this year, so this is a good thing.
I know I’m getting old, and I know my frequent desire to start an extended kvetsch with words that go something like "kids these days . . . " is a sure sign of that. But goddamn, we woulda been smacked but good if we were as ill mannered as, um, the kids these days. I worked at a major zoo this summer, and came face to face with up to several thousand people a day. I can literally–honest to god literally–count on one hand the “kids”–people between say 8 and 20, old enough to know better–who were noticeably polite. Entitled, mute, rude, etc.–anything but respectful and polite. We give hand stamps to the little kids who want them, but about a month into having each kid just thrust his hand into the window like he was offering it up to be severed, without saying a word, and the parents standing mutely behind them, I stopped “understanding” what it was they wanted. They had to ask me for it. Even then, it was always “I wanna stamp!” or even just “stamp!” Toward the end of the summer, I began saying, “what’s the magic word?” to the least aggressively rude of the kids; to the ruder ones I’d say, “I’m sure your [mommy/daddy/whoever was with them] taught you a nicer way to ask.”
Needless to say, I’d often get a glare from a parent.
Older kids, teenagers out for a day at the zoo, are the worst of course. It’s SOP for them to lie about their age, toss wadded up soggy money without saying a word, etc. College kids–we have lists of students names from UW animal behavior classes who get free admission for assignments, and we’ve had to start asking for school IDs because a kid would come to the window and say they were in one of these classes, and then not know the professor’s name. One kid “refused” to give me his last name; he obviously just knew the first name of some kid in one of these classes.
(So I’m happy as hell that I’m living in an apartment with on off-street door. Last year I unexpectedly got a couple TrTers, and I gave em each a dollar.)
We live on a street that has become the Halloween Center for several suburbs 'round. We gave out over 300 pieces of candy this year, and there’s still an hour of official trick-r-treat time left to go. We sit on the porch, it’s silly to come inside, we’d just be up and down constantly.
Most of the kids do say thank you; most of the parents with the smallest kids remind them. Funniest was the parent saying, “What do you say?” and the wee one says, “Trick or treat.” I handed out the candy, the parent says “What do you say?” and the kid says “Trick or treat” again. Obviously a li’l confusion.)
Cutest costume was a wee todler in a octopus costume, with four extra legs dangling around her middle.
Yeah, there are a few kids who don’t say thanks, but then, there are a few adults in every crowd who are obnoxious bitches, too.
Kids in this neighborhood are so fucked up! Most don’t even have costumes. I’ve heard ONE SINGLE “Trick or Treat” yelled. Most of the kids just knock on the door and stare at me. What the fuck!??!
And this is my wife’s first Halloween. I had parents say “You dont have any lollipops? She really likes lollipops.” OMG! I fucking hate this place. Do people not even teach their kids how to collect candy on Halloween? You say “Trick or Treat” when I answer the door, and you say thank you when I give you candy. It’s not fucking hard. And wear a fucking costume.
Plus I’ve had maybe a dozen people come to my door total. So I have all this freaking candy left over. Damnit. If I am here next year, I will not be giving out candy. This neighborhood sucks ass.
