Oops! I should have said her birthday’s a couple of days before. Bad mom! Bad! You’re right about those November people though…there’s just something special about them.
As for the rest of y’all, congratulations! You have saved a little girl’s Halloween. This might be the last year, but I’ll let her go. She’s going to be a gypsy.
Me, I’m going to sit out in the pumpkin patch all night and wait for The Great Pumpkin. 
I think early teens is time to cut it off. It’s an adventure for the kiddies, but once your old enough to walk into the store and buy your own Zagnut bar, you should be cut off.
I personally never had an issue with older kids TOTing, as long as they had a good attitude, were polite, and were in costume. I liked it even better if they were accompanying little ones.
But then, my mother was very, VERY overprotective and didn’t let us TOT. We lived in a small town in east-central Illinois, and this was in early to mid 70’s. ::shrug::
Oh. I take it back then.
Ah, what the hell. I suppose she can have a nice birthday anyway, if she really feels she needs one.
Haddonfield?
Yeah, that was my initial instinct too, but what with so many people of various ages here going all out, I think she can get away with it one last time. She looks young, she’ll be costumed and behaving well.
I stopped TOT after I graduated from High School. Once we got to Junior high my friends and I would take younger siblings and cousins out right after school, then wait until later at night to pick up the scraps. Our neighbors were more than happy to dump off excess candy on costumed teenagers. I see nothing wrong with her going as long as she isn’t going during peak little kid hour (right after elementary school lets out).
I don’t remember when I stopped going. I actually didn’t go much, as Mom was sort of against it so I was on my own to get a costume and find some friends if I wanted to go.
But around here, we have so few TOTers that I welcome anyone who comes in costume. Little kids are cute, and teenagers are funny. It has never occurred to me that there was an age to stop.
I guess I figured that kids will stop on their own. One day they will be all “man, trick or treating is for babies!” and they won’t go out. And if they are of the mindset “man, trick or treating is way fun! Let’s go!” then they are welcome at my door.
I don’t see any reason to put an age limit on it.
If the person handing out the candy reminds you vote the next week, and you’re old enough, it’s time to hamg up your mask. Also, if you don’t bother to do any costume outside of your face. no candy for you. Your heart’s not in it. Without a costume, you’re just a panhandler.
What’s with this all “little kids TOTing right after elementary school lets out”? Isn’t it still light out then? In my neighborhood, everybody, even the little kindergartners, TOTs after it gets dark. TOTing when the sun is still out sucks all the fun out of it. Also, some friends and I are going as the Wizard of Oz people this year just for the fun of it. I am the Tin Man.
Our neighborhood had two rounds of TOTing. Right after school when all the adorable little ones would go out, and then again after dark for the older kids.
And this year you’re going to have to wait an extra hour.
I guess I’m a grinch, if I can mix holidays. We cut it off for our kids at 7th grade. (I still have one under that age.) If they go to a party, or get together with friends and everyone goes out in costume, then we don’t stop them. Since we live in western suburbia, all the teenagers can buy their own candy more easily than I can buy theirs.
The problem with teenagers going out is that it borders on extortion, especially the kids who don’t dress and bring pillowcases. I know a few old folks who truly felt threatened, really didn’t have the money to be handing out candy to dozens of strangers. Mrs. Slow feels threatened. I’m the one taking the TOTers out, because I handle the bad weather we always have on Halloween better, and she ooohs and aaaahs better. If I was home, I’d just toss some broccoli in their bags.
I went through 8th grade, myself (age 13). Dweezil is 13 and plans to go this year. I may discourage it in future years. That said, we do get a handful of mid-teen kids. Some dress up, others (typically teenage boys) at most do a bit of face paint. And for some reason they always have pillowcases.
So…eight or nine? Can’t most kids walk into a store and buy a candy bar?
The older the kid is, the better the costume better be. In fact, if you can completely disguise that you are a teenager (or older) than I may give you a piece of candy. Last time I went out, I was probably 13 or so, but friend and I made the classic vaudeville horse costume, complete with dance moves.
Yes, I was a horse’s ass.
I think when a kid/costume stops looking “cute”, it’s time to quit.
Side note: “prostitutes and pimps” aren’t cute.
My opinion, YMMV
I went trick or treating until I was 17. With friends, and we were ALL in costumes, having fun, and nobody objected to it.
I was 15 for my last year-my friends and I just threw on some old dress-up clothes we found, painted our faces, and went around and had fun.
When I was little, we always went to my cousins’, because our neighborhood wasn’t that big. Plus, it was more fun with all of us going together.