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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

WIBU to strangle the little bastards who have egged my front door and doorstep?

65 replies

WaxyBean · 01/11/2015 08:06

We don't do Halloween and never have. We don't take the kids trick or treating, we don't put a pumpkin out and we disconnect the doorbell on Halloween evening (so no idea how many visitors we had last night).

Was gobsmacked this morning to find that my front door (stealth boast - bespoke, handmade with stained glass) and doorstep were covered in egg. I've just spent 30 mins cleaning it all off - and to top it all off DS has an egg allergy so I've had to be very careful about not treading or dripping it back into the house.

I doubt I'll ever find out who it was - probably not from DS' school as live too far away so probably kids we don't know. But if I ever do find out - WIBU to strangle them?

OP posts:

Londonista123 · 01/11/2015 09:15

We were egged yesterday - to both our door (4th floor) and ancient car (parked on the road a bit away). No-one else around targeted that we can see.

I'm 90% sure that it's one particular pre-teen who I've shouted at in the past - planning to drop an unsigned note through their door to the effect of "I've reported your kid to the police for his Halloween 'prank'. He's welcome to come and apologise if you'd like me to drop the complaint."

Can this backfire?

Bunbaker · 01/11/2015 09:50

"How did you not hear. Pelting eggs off the door makes me jump a foot?"

If I am sat in the front room watching TV I wouldn't be able to hear an egg being thrown at the front door.

Mellifera · 01/11/2015 09:54

We were egged two years ago. I remember feeling the rage, as we have a pumpkin, and give sweets away, and it still happened. I chased them down the road on socks, I was livid.

Yesterday we had dozens of kids knocking. I ran out of sweets and lunchbox treats after an hour and took the pumpkin in. No eggs. All very nice and civilised. I don't really like Halloween, but my children do. Thank God it's over.

MayhemandMadness · 01/11/2015 10:14

Our window was smashed by throwing stones, they also chucked stones at some girls walking down the road and Ive just heard that a taxi had a lump of wood thrown at it a couple of streets away. This was on mischief night, thankfully nothing happened last night.

DoctorFunkenstein · 01/11/2015 10:20

I hadn't heard of 'mischef night' before. Is this a regional thing? I don't think we have it here.

thornrose · 01/11/2015 10:26

Mischief night was 4 th November back in the 70s in the North East.

AlpacaPicnic · 01/11/2015 10:30

I just don't get it?.. Eggs are nearly £2 a half dozen round here, and toilet paper is at least a couple of quid for four rolls. Why are teenagers spending money on things just for the sake of destruction? I can think of much better things to spend my cash on!

It hasn't happened to me but if it did, I'd be tempted to spend next Halloween weekend hanging out with a hose to soak any pranksters...

Pilgit · 01/11/2015 10:32

We had a very civilised Halloween. Lots of polite children (and one dad dressed as the grim reaper...). There are some little shits out there that spoil it for everyone. There really is no need for petty vandalism. Why can't the trick element be a magic trick? Why does it have to be nasty?

Whoknewitcouldbeso · 01/11/2015 10:37

It was fine here too. Lots of trick and treaters, all polite. When sweets ran out I blew out the pumpkins and put a note on the door.

We do live in a village though so it must be different on an estate or in a city where there are huge amounts of kids.

ShelaghTurner · 01/11/2015 10:51

Very civilised here too. We're always out on Halloween but I leave a big bowl of sweets on the doorstep for anyone that wanders by and last night when we got back there were a handful left in the bottom so people had been good about them. One year my Halloween bowl got nicked though but otherwise fine.

ReadtheSmallPrint · 01/11/2015 11:17

We took the kids out for a meal at the local pub/restaurant from 6 until 8 to avoid the TorT-ing. Our kids have nagged us to let them do it over the years but we've said no. I just don't agree with it for many reasons (personal choice).

Neighbours down the road obviousy had a big party. No problems with that, but comments from other neighbours on FB this morning indicate that all the kids and parents went TorT-ing 'en masse' as a 'coachload'.

I'm so glad we went out....

GabiSolis · 01/11/2015 11:36

I've never heard of mischief night. Is it basically trick or treating or just an excuse for organised bad behaviour? Our Halloween was fairly civilised around here. DP took the DCs out last night and I stayed at home with the sweets, taking it in turns to eat one and give one away.

canyou · 01/11/2015 11:41

We hadan ambulance taken out of service because kids threw stones at it, DP was driving with blue lights when their windscreen was egged from a bridge who seriously thinks that is fun or a good idea?

Bubbletree4 · 01/11/2015 11:52

Whilst you are obviously not in the wrong here, I think your best course of action would be to accept that there is a problem here, one that is clearly not of your own making.

Disconnecting your doorbell does not seem sensible. You do not know if there are people on your doorstep hammering at the bell 20 times in a row because you cannot hear. But clearly, if this is happening and you have people who are twats on your property thinking you are ignoring them, getting irate and chucking eggs it would be much easier to leave the doorbell connected, open the doors and dish out some very cheap sweets. You can get a big bucket of mini sweets for about £1-£2. Answering the door and dishing out the sweets and saying happy halloween would remove this problem.

I had my house egged some years ago when the dc were babies. I always make sure I have some mini sweets to give out. It will be easier and cheaper than cleaning egg off your front door.

gleegeek · 01/11/2015 12:13

We usually enjoy Halloween and take dd T or Ting. This year unfortunately we had a big group of year 8 boys being silly and spoiling the fun. One of them rang the door bell, when I opened it to offer sweets he just looked at me. I said take it or leave it and shut the door. We then had a lot of hammering on the door which we ignored, 20 mins of peace and then they came back again probably about 6 times over 2 hours. Dd peered out and said they had mobile phones ready to film when they knocked - god knows what they were going to do... they were boasting on instagram later that they'd been chased down the street by an elderly lady and her dog Was glad I wasn't alone in the house or could have felt quite intimidated...

TattyDevine · 01/11/2015 12:33

Sod that Bubbletree4. If you don't want to take part, you shouldn't be bullied into it.

I do take part, but only because I want to/am happy to.

GreenPotato · 01/11/2015 12:37

Yes what nonsense BubbleTree. Egging people's properties is criminal damage and it's not OK. What next, "hand out cash to the local gang lord every week, it's just a small price to pay to not get beaten up". They shouldn't be doing it.

Original poster

WaxyBean · 01/11/2015 13:40

Thanks all - I feel much more justified in my rage (and have also now calmed down). I went out to get a paper and a handful of other doors had been egged and there were trashed pumpkins and egg boxes strewn down the street so clearly some oiks were out on the prowl last night.

For those that were asking - we were tucked up in the back bedroom with the tv on so didn't hear, and our area isn't normally a big area for trick or treating.

And no - I'm not buying sweets for next year. I personally consider trick or treating to be begging and wouldn't allow my children to knock on strangers' doors any other time of the year so won't allow it at Halloween. I also dislike it's roots in celebrating evil. [I know not everyone sees it this way, and that's fine, but don't expect me to participate.]

OP posts:

specialsubject · 01/11/2015 13:56

no, having the doorbell disconnected and not wanting to play these childish games does NOT mean you have to give away sweets to the little shits.

bucket of water (or worse!) out of a handy upstairs window would be good. Trick or treat, eh?

Hygge · 01/11/2015 14:15

I don't agree that the OP should have to buy sweets and participate to avoid having her home and property targeted.

That doesn't really solve the problem of some people's antisocial behaviour, which has nothing really to do with halloween and everything to do with some people being shits regardless of the occasion.

Halloween doesn't have roots in celebrating evil though OP. Trick or treating has evolved from the practice of offering prayers in exchange for specially baked cakes, masks and carved pumpkins and turnips were used to trick or hide from bad spirits and ghosts rather then to celebrate them, there's also a history of halloween marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter in times past.

MotherOfFlagons · 01/11/2015 15:29

It's so annoying isn't it? Last year someone threw an egg at our window. We both ran outside but of course they had gone. It was a bugger to clean off as well.

Notthecarwashagain · 01/11/2015 15:54

Urgh it's horrible having to clean egg off.
A load of kids threw eggs at my house one year.
I'd bloody well decorated the house, had been opening the door to trick or treaters and giving out (good treats)
They didn't even knock, just ran past pelting the house. Corner house with living room window on road side. Terrified me (anxiety) and pissed me off too because I'd only paid the window cleaner earlier that week.

Poor you. Bastards.

Notthecarwashagain · 01/11/2015 15:56

That was meant to be (good) treats.

RainbowBodyDouble · 01/11/2015 15:59

Don't want to get that muxed up

Yesterday our tree lined street looked all autumnal and nice now it looks like a Glasto field.

Bubbletree4 · 01/11/2015 16:12

To solve this problem, two things are needed:

Excellent education and excellent parenting.

Since op is not in a position to provide all the young people in her area with this, I have suggested how she might decrease the effects of the behaviour on herself.

In my experience, locking horns with people whose behaviour is out of control leads to escalation of that behaviour with you on the receiving end.

I have not suggested it it is "right" for the op to have to participate in Halloween or that she "should" buy some cheap sweets. I have suggested that is might ease her misery.

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