Bizarre Halloween-Thursday Two Questions #59
Halloween is just around the corner, and everyone is tapping in for the fun event. Middle School holds Halloween Dance and charges a minimum of five dollars, which includes pizza and pop. Elementary schools have their own party or parade to celebrate.
It is a fun event for little kids as I remembered. Nowadays, it gets a bit more bizarre. The numbers of children trick or treat equal or even less than the numbers of older teenagers around my neck of the woods.
Last year, my friend and I watched truck loads of these kids got dropped off by the curve, and each of them carried two empty pillow cases. They didn't just trick or treat for themselves but trick or treat for "my little brother, sister, baby cousin, etc... at home!"
Apparently, it has become the night to get as much free candies as one can, and it is sad to see that Halloween is being abused. Many adults confronted these big "trick or treat" kids, and bluntly told them that if the babies were too young to come out, then they were too young to eat the candy.
We even watched in dismay trick or treat "drive-by adults", where they stopped their car in front of houses, and came out to get candies. The numbers of residents participating in Halloween trick or treat, as the result, went down drastically to only two to three houses on a block.
Now this brings me to two questions for the week:
1) Shopping mall put a limit on age for trick or treat goers, so should there be a universal rule on where the cut off age be?
2) If you live in a neighborhood like mine, what would you do or say to these big kids that come to your door with two pillow cases?
Join others at Thursday Two Questions!
It is a fun event for little kids as I remembered. Nowadays, it gets a bit more bizarre. The numbers of children trick or treat equal or even less than the numbers of older teenagers around my neck of the woods.
Last year, my friend and I watched truck loads of these kids got dropped off by the curve, and each of them carried two empty pillow cases. They didn't just trick or treat for themselves but trick or treat for "my little brother, sister, baby cousin, etc... at home!"
Apparently, it has become the night to get as much free candies as one can, and it is sad to see that Halloween is being abused. Many adults confronted these big "trick or treat" kids, and bluntly told them that if the babies were too young to come out, then they were too young to eat the candy.
We even watched in dismay trick or treat "drive-by adults", where they stopped their car in front of houses, and came out to get candies. The numbers of residents participating in Halloween trick or treat, as the result, went down drastically to only two to three houses on a block.
Now this brings me to two questions for the week:
1) Shopping mall put a limit on age for trick or treat goers, so should there be a universal rule on where the cut off age be?
2) If you live in a neighborhood like mine, what would you do or say to these big kids that come to your door with two pillow cases?
Join others at Thursday Two Questions!
Big kids with pillow cases? I probably would not open the door.
ReplyDeletesadly we don't get a lot of kids trick or treating anymore in our area. It sounds awful what is happening in your neighbourhood though. maybe just turn your lights off after 7pm!
ReplyDelete1. Tough question. While I don't like the teenagers out there begging for treats, I don't like universal laws for things like this either. I really don't know the solution to this but it is a problem everywhere.
ReplyDelete2. Where I live, it is a commercial street with businesses and I live in the back area so we don't get any trick or treaters here. If I did, I probably would have to keep watch and if I saw those big kids, I wouldn't answer the door. Again, it's a tough situation.
BTW, Love the photo :)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, but the kids should asked themselves the question of am I too old to trick or treat? Do I just want candy or do I want to hang out with friends, and I bet the answer is that they just want to hang out with their friends.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think the mall should be reserved for small children, call me scrooge on Halloween but I am even bother when mothers wheel their babies, let's say six months to these things, what does the baby know? Have the mothers tried to look at the scenery through their eyes, they don't want to see all these scary costumes, etc.
Okay, basically, I think that the age for trick a treat should be 12 and under, anything past that should be going to a party or passing out candy.
There should be an understood age to stop trick or treating. It is for kids, not teens with pillow cases.
ReplyDeleteBefore we moved here we did not turn on our porch light or open the door. There were two many teen roaming the streets.
We now live at the end of a cul de sac in a very quiet neighborhood. The trick or treaters we get are from the neighborhood or they have relatives here. The small children who come to our door are accompanied by their parents. The teens who show up are with younger siblings and they are always very polite. It is so much more enjoyable in this area.
Let them visit me first, I'll tell you later.
ReplyDeleteNever have any experience on Halloween.
We get about 50 trick-or-treaters to our door on Halloween. Some of them are teens with pillow cases and I am fine with it as long as it's not too late at night.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad when you have to think about putting an age cap on trick or treaters, but I certainly understand why. I wouldn't hesitate too much if a very young child knocked on my door. However, if it were a big kid then I'd be more like to not open it at all. Not only is it scarey for small kids to be out taking candy from strangers, but for people giving out candy. They have concerns about robbers posing as trick or treaters, which are valid reasons to simply avoid being friendly on Halloween night.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Halloween is really new to me because we don't celebrate it in my country, but since I've been here, for the past two years , my kids get to dress up and we stay and give out candy.
ReplyDeleteHowever there are strange people coming into our neighborhood to trick or treat because their town did it yesterday or they want to do more than one town. It's pathetic!
I just want to shut my door and turn the lights off.
1. Yes I think so. Adults / teens should only accompany the little children.
2. I'd ask how old they were and why should my child give them candy when they are older.
Aloha
I have had "adults" come to my door and told them I only bought enough candy for the children, but there is something frgihtening about some of them. You wonder if they will retaliate.
ReplyDelete