Do you think trick or treating is okay and do you let your dc's do it

[ghostfreak]

Hi
Just wondering about what your thoughts are on trick or treating as I know some people hate it.
Also what age do you think is okay to let dc's go off and do it by themselves.
Is there anybody on here who is dead set against it and will not let their dc's do it.

[janeite]

Me - I had a thread about it earlier. It's never been an issue before as we've always done a Halloween tea and games and Trick or Treating has never been discussed. This year though, dd1 has been invited to a party, during which they will be going T or T' ing. She is allowed to go to the party but not the Trick or Treating.

My opinion re the age question, is, if they are old enough to go out alone, then they are too old for Trick or treating.

[treacletart]

ds is 5 - we t&t'd for the first time last year - it was fun and I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. Golden rule is only go to houses with pumpkins though. I thought he was too young the year before, but he was excited to dress up and hand sweets to the trick or treaters who visited us. I loved watching the 14 year old in a scream mask who'd clearly rather have had the hard cash, being asked what colour wiggly worm he wanted by a 3 year old.

[Heated]

Ds is a bit too young at 4 imo, but neither he or dd will go T&T. In fact, we are so bah humbug we disconnect our bell so the dc's sleep isn't disturbed. I also know my elderly neighbour sits in near darkness as people knocking once it's dark frightens her .

T&T wasn't part of our childhoods & I've always considered it a relatively new American import (if I'm wrong I'm sure I'll be corrected) and in my mind very commercialised. There's lots of fun to be had at home with family & friends on All Hallow's Eve without T&T.

[LoveMyGirls]

I agree with the points heated has raised and also that I don't agree with sending my dd's out begging for sweets when they stil have some Easter stuff left! (even if they didn't have Easter stuff left)

[LoveMyGirls]

We will be making choc apples and rice crispie cakes and use sweets to decorate as scary monsters though but that's all. In the past we have carved a pumpkin too and I did consider it this year but with money so tight I saw little point tbh.

[hambo]

Up here in Scotland Halloween has always been quite a big deal, but we call it 'guising', and it is when wee childres go round the houses dressed up, but they have to perform a song or a poem and then get given an orange or some nuts. They don't do any 'tricking'....

No doubt with all the US influence it may change...boo

[hiccymapops]

My little ones only two, so far too young yet. But me and the hubby were discussing this last night, because when he gets to an age when we can take him, i'd only want him to go to the houses of people i know and trust to take sweets from. I really don't like the thought of accepting sweets from someone we don't know, maybe i'm being overprotective. We decided it would probably be easier to take him to/or have our own party,

[mumof2andabit]

Ds (2) and dd (7mo) will go 'trick or treating' tomorrow. We will go well before 7 (5ish if the truth be known) to a few houses that look halloween friendly. Its just a bit of fun. Although I do agree teenagers can take it too far.

[milge]

No and No.

[forevercleaningwithmybesoms]

no. Don,t like it and dont encourage my dc to do it. We have all the halloween stuff going on indoors so they miss out on nothing. Americanised rubbish IMO

[Wallace]

I was just about to post exactly what hambo posted

I would let my 9 year old go by himself, and probably 7 yr old dd if her 9 yr old friend was there too.

[Plonker]

I hate it. Always have.

We never did it as children - we were never allowed. My mam always said it was tantamount to begging and I agree.

We have had kids teenagers knocking on our door since the beginning of October with nothing more than a mask and an outstretched hand. We had one teenager knock last night wearing a white binliner with holes cut out so he could see

So, no, my children won't be going trick or treating except to visit family and friends ...

[squeakypop]

I don't like the way it is done in England, so we don't do it. We did when we lived in the US.

When I grew up in Scotland, there was a class division about who went out begging guising and not. We weren't allowed, nor wanted to.

[OrmIrian]

yes.

I send them out with a good selection of half bricks, rotten eggs and kitchen knives. Amazing what they come back with.

[scifinerd]

halloween is so much fun and can really encourage little imaginations. We take our ds and dd trick or treating and it is a real laugh but as mentioned before only go to houses with halloween decorations. I am not sure at what point I would be happy with them going alone but "how much independence at what age" thing is a whole other debate.

I dont understand what people have against Halloween - very bah humbug -. They should be careful they are not turned into frogs.

I am from Scotland and I miss the guising. As a kid I had such fun with my friends rehearsing our song or poem or act. It really added to it. I think guising should overtake American trick or treating.

[forevercleaningwithmybesoms]

scifinerd - i dont think its that people dont like halloween itself. It is more the intimdation of having people constantly knocking on your door and you expected to keep handing out sweets and treats to strangers.

Our dc love halloween and as i said they only miss out on the trick or treating. Nothing else. We have had the police out in our village, every year as the elderly have been absolutely terrorised by teenage thugs in large groups knocking at all hours and it can be very very frightening.

I live in a very quiet quaint and picturesque vilage with hardly any trouble all year,but halloween in completely different. These thugs come from nowhere and our houses have been pelted with eggs, bits of pumpkins all sorts.

They can get away with it because they are wearing masks. I loathe it.

[scifinerd]

forevercleaning I totally appreciate your point and I would be scared too. It is a shame that a few thugs spoil it for everyone else. And now I sound like a school marm.

[squeakypop]

Where we were in the US, TorT was literally one-hour - 6 - 7pm on 31st December. Kids would only go to houses with their porch lights on. The teenagagers were a nuisance with their pillow cases, but still made an effort with costumes.

It was so much better than the spread out nature of it here. I really ahve no time for it.