My daughter wants to go door to door this year with a group of her friends. Our neighborhood does Halloween in a big way, so there will be mobs of people out that night, all the houses are decorated, a lot of block parties, etc. I don’t want Alex to miss out…on the other hand, she turns sixteen a couple of days after Halloween. I know all the other teenagers here will be out that night (not sure if they actually trick-or-treat, though). Thoughts?
Also, what age did you stop trick-or-treating, and why?
I was about nine the last year I trick-or-treated. I wanted to go out the next year, but we were living in Fort Lauderdale and that was the year John Walsh’s son was kidnapped, so we weren’t allowed. After that, we just never went again.
As long as she dresses in a costume, let her go. We’re all engaged in this headlong rush to grow up. Let her be a kid for a little longer if she wants.
But she must dress in a costume. I don’t like to give candy to kids who are just there for the candy - that’s only part of it.
Sixteen seems a little old to me, but as Anaamika says, if she’s in a costume, let her go for it. Warn her that she’ll probably get some dirty looks, though. Trick-or-treating really seems like something for little kids. Would she consider going out dressed up and not trick-or-treating? If there are block parties, could she go to one of those instead?
I ended a bit late. Maybe 13 or 14. I just love the holiday. And I’d much rather see a dressed up 16-year-old than a snotty, plainclothesed 12-year-old. She may get a ‘No’ or two, but if anything that’ll just keep her from doing it next year.
I hate that kid. I don’t get any trick-or-treaters, but back when I did, I’d tell 'em to beat it. Most of them look like someone’s holding a gun to their head anyway (which would make for an interesting costume, if they gave a fuck).
As long as she isn’t worried about getting some snotty responses, she should go for it. I remember trick or treating with my cousin when we were twelve (which was the last year I intended to go; it was also my last year in middle school). This one lady really gave us really dirty looks and said she “supposed” we could have one piece of her hard-ass penny gum. The next day at school her daughter passed on her message that we were way too old to be trick or treating. It was just her opinion, but it made me feel pretty crappy and embarrassed at the time.
ETA: We were in full costume, makeup and everything. I actually won a prize at school that day, and we were called out of class specifically to have our pictures made for the yearbook. All in all, it wasn’t a bad day!
If they are in a costume, I don’t care how old they are. I really enjoy the groups of teens that come by all dressed up on the later side of the evening. They seem to be having a blast.
First of all, happy birthday to your daughter. November babies rock.
The last time I went was the day before I turned 13, and I felt a little ridiculous, but this girl talked me into going with her friends. We were the oldest kids on the block.
On the other hand, I used to know some women in their 50s who would go. They were so much fun, everyone was happy to give them candy. And yes, they dressed up.
FWIW, I actually went trick or treating at 18; I think the youngest in our group was about 14, but all of us were participating. We got a few odd comments (eg, “aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating?”) and one guy gave us canned beans instead of candy, but there were few people who said anything, and everyone still gave us candy.
…If I didn’t quite celebrating Halloween (for religious reasons), I probably would have kept doing it for at least a few more years. Either way, if you’re going to celebrate it, the point is to have fun, right?
If you’re 35, you’re a little old to be begging for gumballs.
Seriously, though, being outside after dark and getting candy is fun when you’re little, because those aren’t things you’re ordinarily allowed to do. I figure that by the time you’re a teenager, there are more fun ways to celebrate. Go to a Halloween party, visit a haunted house, have a scary movie film festival, etc.
I feel that at my age, 45, I am pushing my luck just a bit.
So I wear a good disguise.
Seriously, we tend to get the older kids later in the evening. If we have candy left, I’d rather they got it than I eat it. As they tend to come in mobs at that age, I always let the younger brothers and sisters tagging along take first choice, then dole out a piece or two to everyone else. As long as they wear a costume and have a good attitude I don’t mind at all. Isn’t it better, sometimes, for kids to be kids, versus force them to be sullen teenagers or malcontented adults?
Gumballs, hell. Two years ago, I scored three beers and a glass of wine! Seriously! Of course, I was chaperoning a bunch of really cute little ones with another adult or seven. We all had a good time.
I personally think WhyKid is pushing it at 14, but he’s excited about his costume and he’s got other age-mates who want to go along as well. They go with us, supervised from afar by adults and helping the little ones hold their bags and say “thank you,” so I think that earns them a little grace.
I did inform my 15 year old goddaughter, after she told me of her plan to dress-up as “A homicidal manic, 'cause they look like everyone else! - har, har, har” that I, personally, wouldn’t be taking her trick-or-treating in that case, and she could stay home and finish up the last minute food preparations for all of us getting back from trick-or-treating. If even the grown-ups walking along the sidewalk are dressed up (this year, I’m a witch - easy, but it’s a costume!), then trick-or-treaters had better be in costume! She changed her mind, and I think now she’s planning on Vampire.
Halloween isn’t just for the little bitties anymore, thank goodness.
I always have the urge to give the older kids a beer or a pack of cigarettes when they come by. As I don’t want to wind up in The News of the Weird, I usually resist that urge.
The last time I went trick or treating I was 19. Sure, I was a little old, but that is one of the benefits of looking really young for your age. I am 25 now and the other day I got asked if I had started thinking about prom dresses yet.
The mothers were bussing the kids in from out of the area. When I was a kid you went to all the neighbors. You didn’t bring in a bus full from miles around.
The “big” kids were coming to our doors. It wasn’t as bad if they bothered to dress, but many of just showed up. For me, Halloween is for the little kids.
I think she is too old. (But as someone said, if she were taking the little kids out, she would get a pass from me.)
Okay, I’ll confess…we do drive to our old neighborhood to go trick-or-treating. Our current neighborhood is almost all apartment buildings, which generally don’t to Halloween, and very, very culturally diverse with lots of recent immigrants, who also don’t generally do or quite understand Halloween. So we drive - in a couple of cars - our little party of about a dozen adults, teens and little kids to where we used to live in Evanston, where there are lots of houses, most of them decorated, TV crews coming to film the best decorated blocks - not just houses, but whole blocks! - and the whole neighborhood just “gets” Halloween in a really fun, ALL of the family sort of way. And, yes, I’ll admit the candy is better in quantity and quality there too, but that’s pretty far down on the list of reasons why we go there.
And that’s where I got the beer and wine one year, so I keep hoping to hit that street again!
