To not take my DD trick or treating?

[puds11isNAUGHTYnotNAICE]

I suffer with anxiety and the thought of turning up at random peoples houses and asking for sweets freaks me out. I know its shitty that my DD will miss out, but I was thinking of hiding treats around the house for her to hunt for instead.

Does this sound incredibly shitty? Should I just suck it up and face my fear?

MN jury, opinions please!

Don't feel bullied into going but some of the posters on here. You must do what you feel is best. I have never taken my children out and only once have we answered the door and that was a prearranged knocking of a friend.

I am fairly sure my children are not neglected or suffering because they aren't allowed to go out and ask for sweets or money.

I have bat lights to put up and have bought them green crème eggs to the day is acknowledged but in a way I am happy with. DS2 will probably dress up as a bat too.

I never went as a child but DS begged last year so I took him but we walked about two miles in the end as I made sure we only went to houses lit up with pumpkins out, and there weren't actually that many. They were all happy to see us! If you stick to the right houses, people will be happy to see you!

I hate trick or treating, my two have never been trick or treating, but then we live in the middle nowhere so have never had any at our house. We do a pumpkin and Halloween crafts, and sometimes a party, but never t or t.

My only preference for Guy Fawkes is, it's a period of English history that's fascinating and good for young un's to know of and at least with Guy Fawkes night only fireworks makers promote it. Plus burning the effigy of a potential mass murderer is fun damn it!

Seriously though that’s what gets my goat about halloween. I dislike the way businesses are encouraging its growth - Supermarkets with their Halloween themed displays and products out all October. But it's easier to sell an occasion involving dressing up and scoffing sugar than it is to sell Guy Fawkes a few days later I s’pose?

Also I don't like the way as a country we've become so bloddy Americanised.
Teachers accepting school work with Americanised spelling (because that's what autocorrect defaults to) pisses me off, and this increasing "celebration" of Halloween is pointless and ought to be discouraged IMO.

I'm all for parents taking kids out, and doing something communal but this is about as communal as having your scooter kicked over by teenagers because you didn't answer your door to them, and yes I know Halloween originated with the Celts. But from what I can make out it's just an homogenised excuse to dress up and scrounge sweets from strangers with parental approval - and it pee's me off. Actually it goes against the very important lesson we all teach our kids about what not to do. But here we are encouraging it.

If it was treated or celebrated (wrong term I know) as a prelude to remembrance Sunday; as a time to consider death, loss and sacrifice particularly of those who gave their lives in war and for the loved ones who are no longer with us, that would be entirely different and I’d be all for it.

If it was treated or celebrated (wrong term I know) as a prelude to remembrance Sunday; as a time to consider death, loss and sacrifice particularly of those who gave their lives in war and for the loved ones who are no longer with us, that would be entirely different and I’d be all for it.

Yes, that sounds like it would be a barrel of laughs.

Lots of people who celebrate Halloween are Irish and Scottish people who enjoyed it as children and think their own kids might find it fun.

Ignore it by all means but I just don't get why the Halloween haters get so het up about it.

I'm 3 quarters Irish and we never celebrated it as kids in the 70's. I don't know anyone who did either.

As for laughs, last year someone in my area impaled some red - splattered dolls onto their front garden railings. I'm still guffawing at that image.

sourdrawers- what part of the country did you grow up?

It has always been huge in my part of Scotland.

My grandmother was born in 1892 and she used to carve turnip lanterns, dress up as a witch and visit friends and neighbours homes for a sweet or an apple.

If you it is going to cause you great anxiety then I wouldn't cause unnecessary stress. There are other ways to celebrate Halloween. If she really wants to are there any family members / close friends live near by that you could just call on? I like the idea of hiding sweets around the house, my little one would love this - it depends how old she is though/how aware she is of others doing it?

She will eventually want to, but then another mum, friends of hers could go with her. I hope you think of something :)