To not want my children to take part in trick or treating?

[ValerieDavis]

Coming to that dreaded time of year again ... Halloween.

I've fairly strict with my children's diets and I really do not want to take them trick or treating this year. All those sugary sweets are no good for their teeth.

I've spoken with DH about this and he thinks that they've only young once and it's only for one night but the sweets tend to last a couple of weeks and I'm doing it for their own good.

I'm more than happy to buy them costumes and let them dress up and have fun on the day and will let them have a few sweets, just no trick or treating!

AIBU?

We don't do it. I don't like the 'give me a treat or I will trick you' attitude used by many.

I'm interested to hear that it comes from an Irish tradition. My mum would never let us celebrate hallowe'en in any way as she said it was anti-catholic. I was also taught that Guy Fawkes was framed as he was Catholic too. As I get older I realise a lot of what I thought was true is total crap.

I agree with whoever said trick or treating is a form of intimidation and begging. I have never allowed my dc to do it and I don't open the door to any other kids doing it. I don't care how unpopular it makes me in our cul-de-sac Sweets aspect neither here nor there.

ToT is often not cute smiley 4 year olds with their smiley parents, it is bunches of loud, towering teenage boys bashing on the door. 'Joy of life'? I don't think so.

Your children ste at a high risk of being very greedy and overweight as a consequence.

Yabu

'If you don't like it, don't do it' doesn't apply to a lot of us- it is simpler to give sweets- have you ever tried cleaning egg off windows after 12 hours?

I love Halloween, we always went trick or treating with an adult. Perfectly safe if its done properly

Ah, trick or treaters are lovely where I live. Little ones with parents waiting at the end of the drive. We put a pumpkin out so they know to come to us. We asked one year what the trick would be if we didn't have a treat and the ones we asked didn't have any tricks in reserve. Sweet.

Can appreciate it's not like that everywhere though, and I wouldn't like it if older kids were doing it. at getting house egged. Wonder what police say to that?' If it happened any other time of year that would definitely be a crime.

Rogue '

Oh but what a joyless lot some of you are.

Can't have diddums eating sweets, can't have diddums at risk of being snatched away by an evil old lady brandishing toffee apples, can't have diddums intimidating (seriously? seriously??) the neighbours.

And do you know, above all else it's got such nasty American connotations. We really can't be taking part in anything that has been adopted with such gusto in America. Frightfully vulgar don't you know.

We have just as much in by staying indoors, wearing some old sacking and guessing how many baked beans are in a can.

Maybe it's because I grew up in Ireland where Halloween was/is huge and bonfire night doesn't exist but come on people, for a child Halloween features very highly on the fun list.

It was never high on any child's fun list in England-we did Guy Fawkes and Halloween was never featured.
I don't mind at all-as long as DCs go to houses that have been agreed beforehand and they are under 12yrs of age and they finish by 8pm at the latest. Unfortunately they don't stick to any of that with us.

How old are the people who didn't celebrate Halloween as children?

I'm just about to turn 40; we celebrated it and so did my mum when she was a child.

I'm 30 and I didn't celebrate Hallowe'en as a child.

I do Samhain and trick or treating. Last year a group of kids turned up at the door the week before Halloween! I told them to come back on the day in costume and bless them, they did they had the best costumes I'd ever seen as well, I opened the door with sweets in had & this zombie said "you told us to come back tonight and we have".
We're in a new area this year so am waiting to see what goes on. I have an idea for decorating the garden cheaply that I want to try.

I don't celebrate Halloween but I do celebrate Easter. So is it OK if I knock on your door on Easter Sunday asking for chocolate?

In our town it's obvious which households are participating as they put pumpkins out. So it's hardly a form of begging or intimidation as people are actively inviting the trick or treaters to knock on their doors.

Personally I love answering the door to little trick or treaters and I'm sad if none come on Halloween.

We didn't do it with DS last year (we had a small Halloween party instead which he loved) but I think we'll do it this year.

DP doesn't like Halloween as he thinks the adoption of the American version has destroyed our traditional celebrations (Samhain), and any poor kids who get him at our door on Halloween are liable to get a passionate history lesson along with the sweets

But still he doesn't stop DS doing it. It's a bit of fun, why on earth not?

I don't celebrate Halloween but I do celebrate Easter. So is it OK if I knock on your door on Easter Sunday asking for chocolate?

You're welcome to try but as it's not a tradition anywhere it would be slightly odd.

Someone has to be first... :o

"We really can't be taking part in anything that has been adopted with such gusto in America. Frightfully vulgar don't you know."

"people are actively inviting the trick or treaters to knock on their doors."

We get trick or treaters and we never have any pumpkins or halloween decorations at all. We're polite to them but definitely didn't invite them. Usually they're accompanied by unsmiling adults, who don't seem full of the joys of life at all...

I have a radically different experience to exoticfruits
We had Hallowe'en decorations out last year and got no trick or treaters at all. :( You really can't blame Hallowe'en for there being vandals, it would be as nuts as me saying I despised Saturdays because in some areas there are violent drunks out on a Saturday night.

Well you're welcome to start that tradition YouMayLogOut, I'll give you a Bounty or two, they're my least favourite. But just you try and touch my Crunchies and there'll be hell to pay!

It's not October until this thread pops up somewhere

I don't like the principle of Trick or Treating, but I don't want to be a miserable old bag. So every year we used to have a little party - dressing up, 'spooky' nibbles, spooky music, watch a bit of scooby doo, etc - all turned up too loud to hear the front door

Now it's even better because a friend now has a DD with a birthday on Halloween - so every year she does the party

How old are the people who didn't celebrate Halloween as children?

I'm early '40s and we didn't celebrate halloween neither did my parents. We live in England. Bonfire night was a big celebration for us but not halloween. We did nothing at school for halloween, there were no halloween parties, no dressing up. No friends did trick or treating. It's not a long held tradition where I live.

I've noticed it in the last 10 to 15 years I'd say.