So before you know it, October is going to be here and all the fall decorations are going to be out and the inflatable ghosts and pumpkins, headstones, jack-o-lanterns, and fake cobwebs will cover yards of Halloween-enthusiasts alike.
I myself, LOVE Halloween. It is my favorite holiday and my favorite time of year. I just turn 17 a little over a month ago and I've gone trick-or-treating every year since I can remember. Why not? I dress up (even when my parens stopped buying the costumes- for example I was a rocker chic one year, a twin with my sister another, last year I made an awesome costume and went as a present..), I'm polite, I actually say "trick-or-treat" at EVERY door, I'm not out getting drunk, stealing little kids candy, tee-peeing houses or whatever instead, so what is the big deal with teenagers going trick-or-treating?
Sure, if you can take along the little ones to avoid the stares its nice, but what if your only sibling isn't even two years younger than you? You don't have the option of taking the kids (yes, I know, you can probably make it work but that isn't the point), so thats out.
You don't have parties to go to or ones you want to go to (in my case, none to even go to), too young for bars and all that.
So why not spend your evening walking around the neighborhood having a little fun?
I had bene all-for going trick-or-treating this year (yeah, I was thinking about it already. what can I say, it's starting to be fall weather really early and I LOVE Halloween), until my mom decided to nib her nose and tell me I was too old to be going anymore.
"By your age I was not trick-or-treating," she says, telling my 15-year-old sister.
"And by your age I was DEFINITELY not going trick-or-treating anymore." Indicating me.
So what if I trick-or-treat? What in the heck difference does it make if I sit at home bored, or walk arond the neighborhood for a couple of hours? I had planned on it probably being my last year- as much as I'd love to go forever, it'd probably be a good idea to hang up the pillowcase until I have kids of my own, you know. I'm not an idiot and after highschool it might be a stretch. But now the idea of it has sort of been ruined.
I feel bad for the kids whose parents are telling them at 13, even 12 and 11 that they're too old to go anymore. Let them decide that for themselves. Give guidelines, sure. Tell them if they are only going for free candy, don't intend to be polite and dress up, say trick-or-treat and all they can't go. But don't not let them go just because they're "too old" to do it anymore.
Especially because, at 12 and 13, even 14 and 15, you hopefully aren't going to be out partying so what else is there for them to do? Watch TV? Wouldn't you rather them be outside and enjoying themselves? Getting healthy exercise while doing it?
Some people say there's the risk of people with bad intentions coming up to their doorstep. Okay, so there's plenty of reasons why this is not a good argument.
1. People can come up to your door any night and you can answer it and they can have bad intentions.
2. You can simply not answer the door- you know, like you probably would on those other occasions?
3. There are plenty of people who appear older and you might miss-judge and they miss out because you had to be an old fart about someone enjoying the spirit of Halloween.
4. Plenty of people can appear YOUNGER and you'll hand them out candy with a smile- just because you think it's "right".
5. What about the people like me, just having fun? Why ruin it for them?
People also argue that kids grow up to fast- just let them be kids, and they also argue that they need to grow up and take on more adult responsibilities. What does having fun have to do with that?
Adults still have fun, and kids can also not have fun. Saying they need to "grow up" is a ridiculous arguement. You can be mature and still enjoy Halloween and going door to door in a costume. Why should you deny them having fun if they want it, and it gets the kids out of the house for two hours?
I understand after a certain point its just kind of... either be taking kids to the doors, heck wear a costume still just because its fun and people love it, or pass out the candy at home. I say once you're 20 it's pretty much the end of the road for you.
But why should somebody else get to decide that for you?
What do you guy's think? Should people learn that they ARE too old for trick-or-treating and need to pass out the candy or do a haunted house, reverse-trick-or-treating or some other form of fun that night? What age do you think is the "stopping point" and why? Please answer the WHY part. If its because your mommy made you quit at the age of 10, that really sucks, but thats a bad reason to enforce that on others too.
Do you think there really isn't an age to stop? Why? If you're a certain age do you have to have kids in tow for it to be right to take candy still?
Please, comment with how you veiw trick-or-treating and what your veiw is on the "rules" of it?
I myself, LOVE Halloween. It is my favorite holiday and my favorite time of year. I just turn 17 a little over a month ago and I've gone trick-or-treating every year since I can remember. Why not? I dress up (even when my parens stopped buying the costumes- for example I was a rocker chic one year, a twin with my sister another, last year I made an awesome costume and went as a present..), I'm polite, I actually say "trick-or-treat" at EVERY door, I'm not out getting drunk, stealing little kids candy, tee-peeing houses or whatever instead, so what is the big deal with teenagers going trick-or-treating?
Sure, if you can take along the little ones to avoid the stares its nice, but what if your only sibling isn't even two years younger than you? You don't have the option of taking the kids (yes, I know, you can probably make it work but that isn't the point), so thats out.
You don't have parties to go to or ones you want to go to (in my case, none to even go to), too young for bars and all that.
So why not spend your evening walking around the neighborhood having a little fun?
I had bene all-for going trick-or-treating this year (yeah, I was thinking about it already. what can I say, it's starting to be fall weather really early and I LOVE Halloween), until my mom decided to nib her nose and tell me I was too old to be going anymore.
"By your age I was not trick-or-treating," she says, telling my 15-year-old sister.
"And by your age I was DEFINITELY not going trick-or-treating anymore." Indicating me.
So what if I trick-or-treat? What in the heck difference does it make if I sit at home bored, or walk arond the neighborhood for a couple of hours? I had planned on it probably being my last year- as much as I'd love to go forever, it'd probably be a good idea to hang up the pillowcase until I have kids of my own, you know. I'm not an idiot and after highschool it might be a stretch. But now the idea of it has sort of been ruined.
I feel bad for the kids whose parents are telling them at 13, even 12 and 11 that they're too old to go anymore. Let them decide that for themselves. Give guidelines, sure. Tell them if they are only going for free candy, don't intend to be polite and dress up, say trick-or-treat and all they can't go. But don't not let them go just because they're "too old" to do it anymore.
Especially because, at 12 and 13, even 14 and 15, you hopefully aren't going to be out partying so what else is there for them to do? Watch TV? Wouldn't you rather them be outside and enjoying themselves? Getting healthy exercise while doing it?
Some people say there's the risk of people with bad intentions coming up to their doorstep. Okay, so there's plenty of reasons why this is not a good argument.
1. People can come up to your door any night and you can answer it and they can have bad intentions.
2. You can simply not answer the door- you know, like you probably would on those other occasions?
3. There are plenty of people who appear older and you might miss-judge and they miss out because you had to be an old fart about someone enjoying the spirit of Halloween.
4. Plenty of people can appear YOUNGER and you'll hand them out candy with a smile- just because you think it's "right".
5. What about the people like me, just having fun? Why ruin it for them?
People also argue that kids grow up to fast- just let them be kids, and they also argue that they need to grow up and take on more adult responsibilities. What does having fun have to do with that?
Adults still have fun, and kids can also not have fun. Saying they need to "grow up" is a ridiculous arguement. You can be mature and still enjoy Halloween and going door to door in a costume. Why should you deny them having fun if they want it, and it gets the kids out of the house for two hours?
I understand after a certain point its just kind of... either be taking kids to the doors, heck wear a costume still just because its fun and people love it, or pass out the candy at home. I say once you're 20 it's pretty much the end of the road for you.
But why should somebody else get to decide that for you?
What do you guy's think? Should people learn that they ARE too old for trick-or-treating and need to pass out the candy or do a haunted house, reverse-trick-or-treating or some other form of fun that night? What age do you think is the "stopping point" and why? Please answer the WHY part. If its because your mommy made you quit at the age of 10, that really sucks, but thats a bad reason to enforce that on others too.
Do you think there really isn't an age to stop? Why? If you're a certain age do you have to have kids in tow for it to be right to take candy still?
Please, comment with how you veiw trick-or-treating and what your veiw is on the "rules" of it?
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