Since when did kids get so... grabby?! (A Halloween one)

[MessyHouse91]

Perfectly happy to be slated here - I don’t spend much time with kids (expecting DC1) so this might just be a kid thing!

This is my first year living in a house on an estate (moved from my city centre flat) so my first year buying sweets for the trick or treaters. I love Halloween so I bought massive bags of sweets.

The first kids I held the bowl out so they could choose their own sweets from the selection, but each of the kids grabbed massive handfuls for 5 or 6 bags of sweets each.

For the next kids, I held the bowl out again and said ‘one each please’. The kids didn’t listen and took big handfuls again, and then Mum looked a little embarassed and told the kids to put them back. I didn’t know if it was the done thing to give them a limit and didn’t fancy standing on the doorstep while the kids rifled through their bags trying to figure out which ones it was, so I told her not so worry about it.

The third lot, I put the sweets into their bags for them. One little boy asked if he could have another for his sister, so I chucked in an extra, and then he got half way down the drive and asked for another for his sister. I said ‘I gave you one for your sister’ and he said ‘that was for my big sister, this one is for my little sister’. I gave him a third, and he shouted to his friends ‘SCORE! GOT ANOTHER ONE’.

I loved trick or treating as a kid (my mum only ever let me go to neighbours we knew) so I don’t want to be miserable about it. I was just so looking forward to decorating and seeing all the kids in their costumes! I know it’s just kids and just sweets but the whole thing seems a bit sad, especially as I’m now out of sweets before it even gets going.

Do I go to the shop and buy more and enjoy the whole thing and chalk it up to experience, or do I stop answering the door and be grumpy for the rest of the night?

Too be honest around my way it was the teenagers who were being the most entitled rude bratty shits who screeched their way up and down the street. Bizarrely they were dressed in not very Halloween St Trinian's hot pants as they banged on every door irrespective of whether there was any signs of Halloween being celebrated demanding something.

All the young kids with parents on the other hand were delightful.

Yeah we had some skimpy ensembles here too. Very nice kids though and not rude at all.

I love the teens coming to the door they always make such an effort with make up and costumes. My teen was out with friends too.
Halloween isnt forbidden for anyone over a certain age.

(Not talking about rude or aggressive kids obviously but those who want to participate fully)

I'm happy to give to teens too, but then the ones who've knocked have always been polite.

Had one over excited kid grab a handful, the dad said “Tasha, did you ASK if you could have more than one?!” and apologize to me (he looked like he was going to take them off her).

I said not to worry about it, as I could tell she was just over excited and from dad’s reaction wasn’t being taught it was ok.

Didn’t have teens, eldest ones looked maybe 11/12? I think most of the teens here have boozy Halloween parties instead of trick or treating. Nowhere on the estate’s been egged or anything or any pumpkins bashed up, and DH said when he took DS2 out everyone appeared to only be going to ones with outside lights on and decorations up.

Cranmers really though....CLEMENTINES?? Why bother? Just keep your door shut and don't participate if you're doing it to judge.

They got so grabby when it became acceptable to knock doors on 31st October and be given crappy junk food which has a detrimental affect on behaviour. If we didn't give them anything, they would stop being so grabby. Why do parents take kids to do this? Are we so influenced by american films that we just copy them? I don't participate, it looks like the precursor to demanding money with menaces.

Seriously? Clementines?
Dd is diplomatic enough to just say thanks but I’m pretty sure DS would have (politely) asked if you had anything else
I think you are getting confused with Christmas stockings

They got so grabby when it became acceptable to knock doors on 31st October and be given crappy junk food which has a detrimental affect on behaviour. If we didn't give them anything, they would stop being so grabby. Why do parents take kids to do this? Are we so influenced by american films that we just copy them? I don't participate, it looks like the precursor to demanding money with menaces.

Its taken them a few hundred years then?

My kids have had fruit given them and they say thank you and eat it just the same as any sweet.
Just be grateful you get anything really.

If you let them help themselves they your sweets will go, just put a couple in each bag, and if they ask for more, say no, there are other trick or treaters coming and you want to have enough. They are probably on a high due to Halloween and also a sugar high. No excuse for no manners though.

I just wish everybody would respect the “no pumpkin, no knock” rule.

Came home from work last night, 36 weeks pregnant and still working FT, exhausted, full of cold, feeling like shit and just wanting to lie down for an hour. Absolutely not in the mood for TorTers. Had 4 door knockers in half an hour.

I ignored them, but they shouldn’t be knocking unless there is a pumpkin or some kind of Halloween decoration on display that shows the household is participating. Walking home from work I saw dozens of decorated houses in my area so it’s not like there were slim pickings.

In future, PLEASE tell your children to only knock on decorated houses. You don’t know who could be living in the houses - a frail, elderly and frightened person, a disabled person, someone with a tiny baby, someone with nervous pets. Or they could just be a pregnant, poorly, tired and grumpy bitch like me. Unless a house has indicated that they are participating, leave well alone.

I agree JonSnows highly disrespectful and not in the spirit of trick or treating, that is what I call begging. My kids were out trick or treating for the first time last night, and we just went to the decorated houses. It made for much more pleasant trick or treating, as those houses welcome trick or treaters, and you don't disturb people who just want to be left alone.

I think it's fine to give Clementines...

I rather think ds 6 would love to be offered fruit, though he might be in the minority, he is very easy going and likes most things.

HoppingGreen, you ask for something else? I think you are getting confused. Are you the tiger who came to tea? It’s very rude to treat free food so ungraciously.

Actually a bowl of mixed fruit, say bananas, clemantines, apples, satsumas is very nice, or those little packet of mixed fruit or raisins, though they might not be very popular, my kids would not mind them.

My eldest daughter chose a clementine yesterday evening (but then she hates chocolate - but doesn't mind sweets).

My DD went out last night and was telling me when she got home about a few houses that had apples in with the sweets “Why would anyone want an apple?”

Interestingly, she went with some school friends T or Ting in a different place about ten miles away - first time she’s not been round here & she commented on the number of people taking more than one thing, she’d never seen it before.

They got so grabby because lots of parents don't teach respect , good manners or to consider anyone or thing except themselves !

I buy biscuits for children. One thinks nothing of eating an entire packet herself. No she isn't fat, she is just very very entitled. But also I note the parents, specially the Dads are uber greedy and will eat 4 as well.
They never say, well let's save some for next week...or lets offer them round again.
This is an affluent area. Children here vary from very underprvileged to really wealthy.
I am afraid I get fed up with the ones from million pound homes who eat dozens of bloody biscuits.

I used to give clementines with jack o'lantern faces drawn on in sharpie. Never had anyone ask for something else. Weirdly it was the teenagers who liked them the most.

But then I used to live somewhere with a high vegetarian/vegan count. So many kids or parents asked if that sweet has gelatine in, what about this one? that it was just easier to hand out fruit.

Meteor.....Well your "nannies"must live near me when they finish work
I live in an area that's quite nice but definatly not affluent compared to most areas,mixed between a few council houses but mainly ex council bought up in Maggie's reign, new builds and bog standard semis etc. We get hundreds of trick or treaters as its quite a big thing in our area and I left a bucket of Haribo on the door with a help yourself whilst we are out and we still had some left when we got home, I could see kids milling in and out of garden before we even got to the end of the road and we were out for nearly 2 hours in the end mainly just looking at what people had done to their houses (we get cars drive round ours at Christmas as it's one of those places that goes nuts wirh Christmas displays etc and a few of the houses have charity boxes outside their displays to raise money)
Quite funny as when we were there the kids kept grabbing the big satsumas done up as pumpkins thinking they were getting more booty and I had to tell them but strangely enough the satsumas had gone and some Haribo packets were left when we got back, so all our kids must have been polite enough to only take a bag each....
My son may have been classed as rude by some as when offered sweets he didn't like he told them "no thanks I don't like them" and left empty handed SEN kids are awesome they say it how it is

Not the case where I live now, btw!

Since parents do not teach them manners that’s how they become so greedy.