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?

I think you have been unlucky. We’ve only had one lot of visitors, two polite little girls who picked up one bag of haribo each. I actually said to them to take a second bag.

Oh I also forgot to add when I initially ignored the door bell a few weeks before Halloween the little shits started banging really loud and shouting through our letter box!

They’ve been very polite with their pleases and thank yous (and jokes) here but ridiculously GRABBY! First year I’ve ever experienced such greed - usually have to tell them to take more. We had 2 x 1KG tubs of sweets and we’ve only got dregs left due to shovel-like hands digging in so much - and it’s not even 7 pm yet! The most shocking part is the parents allowing it. Not a single mum or dad telling them not to be so greedy. If my DD had ever behaved like that she’d have been marched straight home!

Walk the kids we have had to visit over the years have been so polite and we have had to tell them they can take more.

We now live in a cul de sac off the main part of the housing estate and rarely get anyone coming up our road guising (Scotland) anymore.

It's a shame, I used to love the little ones coming into the house all dressed up and doing their turn (song, joke, trick etc) for a little bag of sweets.

I hand treats out, don’t let them take their own...

We’ve had loads but we have lights on and a pumpkin lantern at the gate. They seem to only go to the lit up or decorated houses. There have been some brilliant costumes and painted faces! Mostly taking one or two things and saying thank you.

I’m leaving the lights on till 8pm or whenever the sweets run out!

I've put a tray on the front door step with the porch light on so they come up and get them. I'm not getting up and down all night to open the door. Suits me & they still get sweets.

Depends on the area, here they're all very polite, they only take one each and I have to encourage the older ones who are clearly escorting younger siblings to take some sweets for themselves. My only problem is that the multipacks of sweets seem to have gotten smaller, I bought the same amount as last year and I've already run out!

They have all been really polite round my way, taking just one or two if I encourage them to take more.

They only go to decorated houses here.

I’m all out of sweets now so the pumpkins are in.

It sounds like somebody is now putting a firework display on and all of the kids have stopped going round.

I’ve had about 25 kids so far and every one has taken one sweet only and said thank you. So there are some good ones!

We have had about 80!!!!! I would say they've all been perfectly behaved (only one little boy took more than one packet of sweets but I think he was just over excited!). I even had a little girl of about 4 come and knock on the door again as she was worried she forgot to say thank you 😂😂

I only allow my DC go to decorated houses, most DC seem to know the drill.

If you offer a bucket full of sweets they're going to take as much as they can grab, they're kids! I just hand out 1 bag to each child, problem solved.

Ive just been trick or treating with my kids. All the groups have been polite. Some people asked my kids to take more, so they obviously havent had the grabby kids experience if they were trying to get rid of them. Having said that, my DS1 got into a strop because he wanted to go to cubs as the Joker (He went for the Heath Ledger look) when they expressly told them they couldn't wear scary costumes, so he's at home giving sweets to others instead mean mum. He's taking it in good grace, even though I'm still fuming silently! All the kids at our door have been polite too, and only going to houses with pumpkins/ decorations.

They've all been polite here only taken one but I've gone upstairs to put DS to bed. I've left a tub outside, I'm expecting it to be empty when I go down in a minute

they are excited!

So far they’ve all been polite around here and many had to be encouraged to take more than one, we have tonnes.

If you’re out of sweets just put a note on the door saying sorry, you’re out of sweets, try again next year.

We went out and left a bucket of sweets at the front door, somebody's taken the bloody bucket!!!!

Everyone has been polite at ours so far and we've had quite a lot!

I did just have some younger teenage girls who had a bit of glitter round their eyes, I opened the door and they just stood looking at me 😂 they couldn't even be bothered with the "trick or treat"

It seems you have been unlucky with the grabby greedy children op, round here the children are so polite and well mannered they have given me sweets!

Around here they expect money

That happened where I used to live too - offer them sweets and about half would sneer and deliver an charming "f**k off"

I've moved now to a lovely, tucked away avenue (same city) and it's wonderful ... no trick or treaters at all

Ran out of treats last year, my son gave an orange, that got the most laughs and the kids ran off giggling.

The children who have knocked here have been lovely so far - so polite and only one sweet each! Actually had to tell them to take more because I have clearly overbought though!