<p>I hope I never get so old and cranky that I object to a high school kid asking (politely) for some candy. As someone else said: there are so many worse things they could be doing. Let them be kids for as long as they like.</p>
<p>We had plenty of candies left from last night. There were far and fewer kids that came to our house.
High school kid did not trick or treat but she went to a party. They seem to be bored with candies that they received, so we ended up with more candies. I’ve been eating them.LOL!</p>
<p>We had leftover candy too. My sr. S is doing his best to take care of it though. We didn’t have any high schoolers come by at all. There were a few middle schoolers who were all in costume (my favorite were the two kids dressed as the Blues Bros.). DH told the kids to choose the kind of candy they liked best. None took advantage except for a 6 year old neighbor girl who took about 6 Milky Way bars and would have taken more but she couldn’t hold them all,lol. </p>
<p>The funniest thing was a tiny girl in a fuzzy pink suit…DH asked “who are you?” He meant the costume but she looked at him like he was nut and said “I’m Amy”. (She was dressed as a Care Bear).</p>
<p>I’m surprised that so many other localities allow teen aged trick or treaters. It is illegal for kids over twelve years to trick or treat here. I think the age limit prevents lots of misbehavior from marauding older kids. I think teens should be encouraged to ‘move on’ where trick or treating is concerned. Just as no one sits on Santa’s lap past a certain age, I think no one should go begging at Halloween past a certain age. </p>
<p>My son accompanied his girlfriend, who was tasked with escorting her 8 yr old brother around her neighborhood for trick or treat. Otherwise, he’s not gone out on halloween since middle school.</p>
<p>we live in a really safe residential area and everyone pretty much knows everyone else. when i was little, we would all dress up and trick or treat. when i was in middle school, we would shepherd around little siblings/friends/etc then come back to my house where my mom made me and all my friends chili and leftover candy. by high school, we just partied and ate the candy and chili. and by senior year, we started hanging out with the parents in the neighborhood who had plenty of candy, appetizers, and quite an array of domestic and imported beer. (st louis–quite the beer city!)</p>
<p>it’s fun to see how it’s all changed and it was a pleasant (and very awkward, might i add) experience to have my best friend’s mom pop the top off (MY FIRST EVER…sarcasm here) bud light. exciting to think that the kids are starting to be able to be friends with the adults too. can’t wait for the holidays!</p>
<p>My HS junior son dressed up – he actually went out in his car to several stores to find a particular costume he wanted – a penguin. He’s 6’2" and 245 pounds. He looked adorable. I sent some photos to family and his aunt (who is a HS teacher in another state) wrote back that she thought it was weird that he dressed up for school – but I told her that about 2/3 of the HS kids (small student body, only about 400) were in costume. I happened to be doing an errand in the school on Wednesday and saw lots of costumed kids, who all looked like they were having a great time. Why not? Its a safe place for them to still be kids – they’re so caught in the middle of kid/adult, here’s a day to have fun with it. HOWEVER, when he went out at night, first to a friend’s house, then for pizza… he did not dress in public. Which just goes to show that maybe they still think of school as a safe place to goof around.</p>
<p>At my d’s high school, Halloween is a really big deal. Most kids do “group costumes”: either everyone dressed alike in a group (like “Pink Ladies” or “Ping Pong Team”), or each dressed differently but as members of a group (like a band or something). One year, 6 kids went as a Royal Flush - 5 were cards, and the 6th was a plunger! Kids can also do solo costumes and many do. Very few show up without costumes. The school does an assembly and the faculty votes for best costume. They all have a great time.</p>
<p>Illegal for a teen to trick or treat? :(</p>
<p>What kind of world are we living in?</p>
<p>
My DD and her best friend since infancy go to the mall every year to sit on Santa’s lap and have their picture made. They’ve done it since they were babies and I hope they continue to do it. They were 18 last Christmas, and they stood in line among all the younger children. I occasionally find myself turning into an old grouch about some things, but then I just try and remember what it was like to be a teen. It should be fun! Life needn’t be so serious that kids of all ages can’t still enjoy Halloween and Santa.</p>
<p>
Amen. When I was a teen, life was much more carefree than today. I love to see D taking part in goofy stuff that has no purpose other than fun & enjoying her friends.</p>
<p>Okay, I’ll admit my 3 teens still trick or treat !! They all have costumes, and go out with friends, and just have some fun. I think they all need a break sometimes - I don’t remember HS being so hard. My Senior is taking 4 AP course, marching band, working, and completing college aps and art portfolios !! </p>
<p>I like seeing the teens out there, enjoying themselves, even without a costume.</p>
<p>Teens definitely dress up for Halloween here. Most of the high school kids come to school in costume on Halloween, and later, many of them go to Halloween parties (just as do many adults). But, by in large, trick or treating is considered an activity for little kids here. Just because you can’t go begging for candy anymore doesn’t mean you can no longer enjoy the holiday. I still enjoy Christmas a great deal, even though I learned the truth about Santa long ago.</p>
<p>Yeah, yeah—“what truth about Santa?”, right? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Poetsheart, My bro lives in Va Beach and he shocked me a few years ago when he said my nephew (7th grader) was no longer allowed to T or T under the law. I thought he was pulling my leg. There must have been some major problems with criminal activity among teens on Halloween in the past for the city fathers to initiate such draconian measures.</p>
<p>My 17 and 15 yo D’s and their friends collected almost $300 for Unicef, and got their fill of candy, as well. They dressed up in old bridesmaid/formals we keep in the “dress up” box and had a blast. Neighbors commented on how nice it was to see the kids, catch up on their lives and activities. Recommend this hightly. Key Clubs often spearhead Unicef box distribution and collection.</p>
<p>I’m grateful for that law, actually. The last thing I’d call it is, “draconian”. It does indeed seem to curtail a lot of misbehavior from older kids, and we only see the cutest and most innocent at our door. Teens frequently get tasked with escorted their younger siblings door to door, and they often do dress up as well. I’m sure people still have pleasant reunions in this way with older neighborhood kids from their schools and churches. Nobody is complaining about the age limit, not even the teens themselves. They just engage in Halloween fun in another manner—as I said, house parties, mostly.</p>
<p>We get little kids trick or treating for UNICEF, and believe me, I’m much more inclined to give generously when the little ones ask.</p>
<p>DS gave trick-or-treating up in 7th grade. I think he was a little sad about it, though.</p>
<p>Dd is 15, she and her friend made costumes and went out, they looked great. I think she’ll do this until she goes to college. I don’t mind teens at the door as long as they’ve made an effort to dress up. Two other boys from the neighborhood went with them but they were too “cool” to dress up, they didn’t go up to the houses but waited at the end of the driveways and tried to get the girls to share their candy. I guess they were their bodyguards, although this is a pretty safe neighborhood.</p>
<p>My favorite costume year was when DS was in 7th grade and DD was in 4th. She borrowed a friend’s costume from a show and went as an ant; her brother went with her dressed as an exterminator.</p>