Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 ··· 7 8 9 10 11 12

Original poster

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

293 replies

ValerieDavis · 09/10/2012 16:18

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?

OP posts:

shesariver · 10/10/2012 12:47

Well I for one am looking forward to getting all my Halloween decorations out and dressing the boys up, have fond memories of my parents doing so with me and doing it with my eldest who's too old now - true childhood where its all about having fun passes by so quick to. Yes I know there are other ways to have fun before some misery guts come along to tell me but my kids love Halloween!

soverylucky · 10/10/2012 12:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Adviceinscotland · 10/10/2012 12:55

We live in a navy estate, tis fantastic at Halloween!

Most houses decorate and dress up and the kids run about wild in a sugar rush having the time of their lives.

Even though we are behind the wire the parents all come out pushing newborns/toddlers about taking in the atmosphere and making sure everyone is having fun.

It's kids paradise for the night and great seeing how much effort everyone goes to, you do get the odd few who push their dc out the door to collect sweets but then sit in the dark so they don't have to give any out but it's their loss.

exoticfruits · 10/10/2012 13:31

I think all those against it are meany spoilsports tbh....

I am not against the fun of Halloween or sweets-just disturbing strangers. I wouldn't even mind if they just went to those who were decorated but they don't, they go for every house, in our area.
Luckily we have moved to a road with no callers-it is utter bliss and we don't have to go out for the evening to avoid.

LilyBolero · 10/10/2012 15:58

"Lily there are lots of things I don't let my DC because they might harm her or someone else but I don't stop her doing things that harm nobody and might bring her some pleasure "because I don't like them""

Really? There is NOTHING that you don't stop your child doing, because it's something you don't like? That's quite a statement!

cynister · 11/10/2012 01:26

I have allowed my children to read this thread so they might see how lucky they are to have fun loving parents, instead of the uptight heli parents found here..
Sadly, they were not impressed, only disgusted their mum spent time reading all this drivel..

JustSpiro · 11/10/2012 06:14

uptight heli parents

Not letting your kids take part in one thing that lots of other people are not keen on either hardly warrants that kind of label.

conorsrockers · 11/10/2012 06:43

We've done it for the past 7 years (DS1 now 10), we go back to our old neighbourhood as we live in the country now and lots of the children go round with the parents. It's a lot of fun.
And - it'll rot their teeth - are you serious? What about Easter eggs and christmas? Reminds me of that scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where his Dad throws all the sweets in the fire!!!

visualarts · 11/10/2012 06:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Fairylea · 11/10/2012 06:55

I don't agree with it.

Money is tight enough for people as it is why should they have to buy extra sweets for children that come and beg for them .. because that'sreally what it is.

I dread it because our street is full of kids all doing it and our doorbell rings almost non stop. Not good when you have a very young baby you're trying to get to sleep !!

I think the whole thing is very inconsiderate.

Last year we dressed dd 9 yrs old up and took a torch and went walking in the nearby woods at dusk as a family with other children. It was great fun and they all get to dress up without knocking on peoples doors. And we weren't at home either !!!! Might do that this year.

NumericalMum · 11/10/2012 08:18

Nothing I can think of stopping her from doing just because I don't like it. Lots of things that are for her benefit when she grows up and things society might find a problem, eg shouting in a restaurant etc. I am not a huge fan of softplay but I don't ban her from it, for example.

I am certainly not parent of the year but I do think if there is no real reason for not doing Halloween you are being mean.

LilyBolero · 11/10/2012 08:28

The reason is I don't like the idea of children disturbing the neighbours in order to ask for money or sweets. And that is a perfectly good reason not to let them go trick or treating. Entirely different from soft play!!!

Lots of elderly people hate Halloween. My 84 yo MIL hides upstairs with the door locked and the curtains shut because she never opens the door to someone she doesn't know. For many people it is a real effort to answer the door, and to have to get up repeatedly to answer it to children requesting sweets or money is really unfair.

exoticfruits · 11/10/2012 08:29

Dressing up and doing a night hike was one of the fun things we did. You can have lots of fun without knocking on doors and disturbing people.

LilyBolero · 11/10/2012 08:44

Yy, we do pumpkins and dressing up. It's the trick or treating bit I don't let them do.

exoticfruits · 11/10/2012 08:49

We have done everything except the trick and treating- so I am hardly a kill joy. Lots of elderly people dread it and how do you know what is going on in people's lives? Lots of people are going through some sort of trauma - it is understandable they are not in the mood. We don't all have the cosy scenario where you only call on decorated houses - probably because there are so few decorated houses they knock on all doors.

LilyBolero · 11/10/2012 08:59

We did a big Halloween party 2 years ago, (but hey, I'm a killjoy, uptight heli parent :hmm: ), and that is all good fun. There is no way though that Ii am going to let them T&T, I know how much elderly and frail people in my own family dread Halloween, and feel a prisoner in their homes ( you can say 'they're only children' till you're blue in the face, it's the answering the door to strangers that is the problem, and many old people won't, just in case).

Not so much heli parent as thinking about others.

LilyBolero · 11/10/2012 09:00

Sorry for typos, on phone! That should have been

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 11/10/2012 10:36

I don't like trick or treating because I don't like being disturbed by the constant door ringing so I don't take my charges (nanny) or step-children to disturb other people, I do however throw a party every year for them so I don't think they miss out on anything.

I do think the op is being very unreasonable though to use sweets as an excuse, just ration them, my charges still have easter eggs left because they get rationed and their teeth are perfectly fine, we just brush them after eating sugary things

Flip

1 2 ··· 7 8 9 10 11 12