How old is too old to go Trick-or-Treating

[xmastidings]

How old is being too old to go Trick-or-Treating, especially this day and age where kids just want to grow up so fast. My daughter, (who, I have to say, is in her 2nd year of college) wants to go Trick-or Treating this year with a group of her friends. Now, get this, they are all planning to dress up in characters, like the cartoon show (Superfriends).

Now my daughter, is a little thing (95 lbs wet behind the ears) and she wants to dress up as superman and go out and have some fun. She bought her costume and it has the cape and all; she loves it. While she was home on a short break, she put it on and was running thru the house with her cape flapping in the wind...I thought it was kind of cool!

She does not drive nor have her license nor likes to drink alcohol or anything like that. She likes to have fun in that kid like kind of way, sort of being free-spirited, energetic and in some ways, child like. For once, I see some kids, (all of them 18 and 19 year olds) well, that still want to be kids yet! I think it is a grand thing for them to still want to have fun in that way, do you agree? Thanks~

 

[Jeff Westover]

Good topic. I have kids from 11 to 27 -- this is a timely discussion in our home. They want badly to go out and I won't let them. We're having a party, going to let them decorate, dress up and spook the older kids who come by.

But we're focusing on serving the little ones in our area. The house is big enough to have an "entrance" for the big teenagers -- they're calling it the Tunnel of Doom -- and we have a separate one for Happy Ghosts, where the little ones will feel welcomed.

But as for going door to door -- no.

 

[Holiday]

How old is being too old to go Trick-or-Treating, especially this day and age where kids just want to grow up so fast. My daughter, (who, I have to say, is in her 2nd year of college) wants to go Trick-or Treating this year with a group of her friends. Now, get this, they are all planning to dress up in characters, like the cartoon show (Superfriends).

Now my daughter, is a little thing (95 lbs wet behind the ears) and she wants to dress up as superman and go out and have some fun. She bought her costume and it has the cape and all; she loves it. While she was home on a short break, she put it on and was running thru the house with her cape flapping in the wind...I thought it was kind of cool!

She does not drive nor have her license nor likes to drink alcohol or anything like that. She likes to have fun in that kid like kind of way, sort of being free-spirited, energetic and in some ways, child like. For once, I see some kids, (all of them 18 and 19 year olds) well, that still want to be kids yet! I think it is a grand thing for them to still want to have fun in that way, do you agree? Thanks~

It sounds like she will have a lot of fun with it!!! We don't have kids, so I'm not a big help, but I will say that my nieces/nephews came to our house dressed up all through high school with their friends. They would go to houses of people they knew - other friends, our house, etc. I loved that they still stopped in! Now the youngest of them are in college farther away, so I don't get their yearly haunting anymore! Lol! Hope she has a great time. Always fun to get together with friends & do something out of the ordinary!!

 

[xmastidings]

I have to add this as an additional thought to the Topic. There is one thing that I really don't care too much for, is that when teenage kids to come to the house Trick-or-Treating and they are not wearing a costume, have no mask, no nothing, except for an open hand.

But, I do make them say Trick-or-Treat at least before I give them any candy....

 

[whitney37354]

I stopped at sixth grade. DD is now in third grade, so I think we have a couple of years left. After that, she can dress up and go to a party, but not trick-or-treating. I didn't like it when teenagers came to my house to get candy, not dressed up, with just a grocery bag & no thank yous.

 

[deffenm]

I say if they take the time to dress up and are being curteous and respectful then by all means have fun! My oldest is 14 and is trying to decide if he wants to go out or stay home and pass out candy. I told him if he wants to go out he needs to dress up so I think he will be staying home. I don't like kids who just show up in PJ's or street clothes with a pillow case.

 

[Jeff Westover]

I say if they take the time to dress up and are being curteous and respectful then by all means have fun! My oldest is 14 and is trying to decide if he wants to go out or stay home and pass out candy. I told him if he wants to go out he needs to dress up so I think he will be staying home. I don't like kids who just show up in PJ's or street clothes with a pillow case.

A few years back we had a kid show up like this. I was in the middle of a remodel project and we had all of our food storage stuff in a closet by the front door. This kid just stood there staring, didn't say a word, wasn't dressed up, just had the pillow case.

Too bad for him that i answered the door. He would have scared the girls to death with that stare of his.

I was in a mood and grabbed one of those small cans of tomato paste, fully expecting it to be thrown through one of my windows and spread all over one of my cars.

I threw it in there so fast he couldn't see what it was but by the heft of it he felt like he really scored and he smiled broadly and did say thank you.

I sat there waiting for a reaction...after about 15 seconds, long after he had left my walk I heard loud laughter and cautiously walked out to by my garage and saw him with two other boys, on the lawn, rolling with laughter. They were passing the tomato paste between each other's bags as I watched them walk down the street.

Nothing ever came of it but my wife was furious with me because she said the can I gave him was old and past his expiration date.

 

[GingerMel]

Honestly, if you show up to my house...no matter how old you are...if you're in costume and say "Trick or Treat" you WILL get candy from me.

I don't care how old you are.

 

[xmastidings]

A few years back we had a kid show up like this. I was in the middle of a remodel project and we had all of our food storage stuff in a closet by the front door. This kid just stood there staring, didn't say a word, wasn't dressed up, just had the pillow case.

Too bad for him that i answered the door. He would have scared the girls to death with that stare of his.

I was in a mood and grabbed one of those small cans of tomato paste, fully expecting it to be thrown through one of my windows and spread all over one of my cars.

I threw it in there so fast he couldn't see what it was but by the heft of it he felt like he really scored and he smiled broadly and did say thank you.

I sat there waiting for a reaction...after about 15 seconds, long after he had left my walk I heard loud laughter and cautiously walked out to by my garage and saw him with two other boys, on the lawn, rolling with laughter. They were passing the tomato paste between each other's bags as I watched them walk down the street.

Nothing ever came of it but my wife was furious with me because she said the can I gave him was old and past his expiration date.

:lol: LOL.... Now that is hillarious!!! Hmmmm, I might have to remember that one~ :lol:

 

[Christmasstar]

My son loves halloween and trick or treating, he takes a bunch of the neighborhood kids out and has a great time with them. If he was to go by himself I would say no, but we have a lot ao single moms around here who really appreciate him taking the time to do this. There is usually a group of about 10 kids + adults.

 

[xmastidings]

My son loves halloween and trick or treating, he takes a bunch of the neighborhood kids out and has a great time with them. If he was to go by himself I would say no, but we have a lot ao single moms around here who really appreciate him taking the time to do this. There is usually a group of about 10 kids + adults.

That's a really nice/ generous thing for your son to do; good for him.....

 

[KWasser]

The last time I went out trick or treating as a kid was when I was 12 or 13 years old. After that, I was attending church sleepovers on Halloween night.

Now that I have kids of my own, I'm going to set the same standards. After my kids turn 13 years old, it's time to stay home and enjoy the fun of passing out the candy, and spending time with family (or going to a church function).

Having said that, I do remember one last time that I went Trick or Treating - it was my senior year of High School (I was around 18 years old) and my best friend asked him to come help set up his father's house with scary decorations and passing out candy. We got out dry ice, coffins, gravestones, and had all sorts of fun scaring the kids and giving out candy.

I distinctly remember it was around 9 pm and the kids coming by had dropped off, and you could tell the night was pretty much at end...so we decided to go out trick or treating ourselves (we were having too much of a good time). We had costumes of our own, so that wasn't the problem, but I do still distinctly remember the questioning gaze some people gave us when we knocked on their door. One lady even asked "Now aren't you guys a little old to be trick or treating?" but she gave us candy. We did that up till 10 pm and then called it quits. Hey, it was our senior year of High School, we were enjoying Halloween one last time...or that's how I rationalized it.

 

[Billy Battles]

I would say about 13 should be the cut off. What I do for older kids is I buy cheap candy for them and save the good candy for younger kids.

 

[xmastidings]

You know, my reflections of Trick-or Treating when I was a kid was to be out of the house by dinner time and be back in by 8:00pm, to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on Tv.

Now of course, that was back when the Jackson 5 had their own cartoon tv show and Scooby Doo and Johnny Quest was on Tv every Saturday morning; say back around, what 1973 or soish....

But, I had my own hand made costume (which you really don't see too many of them now-a-days) and I did this all the way up to say about the 10th grade, so I guess I was about 14 at the time, maybe?

Now, I see kids that are out Trick-or-Treating, that look like they are in college, are the times changing or is it the kids just look older?

 

[xmastidings]

A few years back we had a kid show up like this. I was in the middle of a remodel project and we had all of our food storage stuff in a closet by the front door. This kid just stood there staring, didn't say a word, wasn't dressed up, just had the pillow case.

Too bad for him that i answered the door. He would have scared the girls to death with that stare of his.

I was in a mood and grabbed one of those small cans of tomato paste, fully expecting it to be thrown through one of my windows and spread all over one of my cars.

I threw it in there so fast he couldn't see what it was but by the heft of it he felt like he really scored and he smiled broadly and did say thank you.

I sat there waiting for a reaction...after about 15 seconds, long after he had left my walk I heard loud laughter and cautiously walked out to by my garage and saw him with two other boys, on the lawn, rolling with laughter. They were passing the tomato paste between each other's bags as I watched them walk down the street.

Nothing ever came of it but my wife was furious with me because she said the can I gave him was old and past his expiration date.

:lol: LOL.... Now that is hillarious!!! Hmmmm, I might have to remember that one~ :lol:

Ohhhhh,,, I just thought of this; "I got a rock"......

 

[Snow-in-Texas]

I don't remember how old I was when I stopped. I do think, as I think has been mentioned, if the older kids or even adults are dressed up and are courteous, let them have fun with it.

Funny how you mention how kids just can't wait to grow up, we were talking about this at work the other day. When I was a kid, I DID NOT want to grow up, growing up just looked like no fun at all. cheesy

 

[xmastidings]

Another thing that I have to comment on is that there is something that really bugs me at Halloween and it also relates somewhat with SIT as well (about kids wanting to look, act and be older than they are).

As much as I really enjoy to see the kids, teenagers all dressed up for Halloween, I cringe when I see these young girls coming up on the porch Trick-orTreating and their wearing these "Bimbos-R-Us" halloween costumes. I mean where are the parents, to let these kids out go running around looking like that? Hello.... Is it me, am I just getting old, I don't know? What do you think~

 

[Mumof2]

Whenever they feel like stopping..usually around 15-ish is the oldest I've seen.

 

[xmastidings]

Hmmmm, it's a close one here with the tally so far of opinions almost a 50-50 split or 60/40 ratio.

Does anyone else have any opinions about this as well, because I am almost at the same place where I was before I asked the question, lol! I am myself torn right down the middle about the subject....

 

[Seawaters]

I love this siggy. It makes me smile every time I see it!

I don't remember how old I was when I stopped. I do think, as I think has been mentioned, if the older kids or even adults are dressed up and are courteous, let them have fun with it.

Funny how you mention how kids just can't wait to grow up, we were talking about this at work the other day. When I was a kid, I DID NOT want to grow up, growing up just looked like no fun at all. cheesy