To think shots for parents while kids trick or treat is bad?

[alco]

I'll start by pointing out I am a recovering alcoholic and I really do no think I am only of those preachy people that now look down on anyone for drinking.

In a group (mainly US based) about sobriety I am in one lady was saying in her area people now hand out alcoholic shots to the parents when the kids trick or treat. Some people are defending it saying just because she has a problem with alcohol doesn't mean that every one does. I completely agree. But I really do not think there is a need to hand out shots while the kids are out trick or treating. '

Some even said on local mum groups people are sharing maps of which houses will be participating.

AIBU or is this normal?

That sounds nice.
And I would imagine the shot thing supposed to be more like Here’s the treats for the kids and by the way, would you care for a novelty alcoholic shot <adult neighbour> (which they can obviously refuse) than a conspiracy to turn trick or treating into parents getting completely wasted and reckless.
I know a lot of my neighbours have parties on Halloween night where there seems to be a mild to moderate amount of drinking going on so I don’t suppose it would be that strange to offer another neighbour a drink when they knock on your door. Some communities are very close and friendly, others aren’t. I wouldn’t be too worried about “mystery liquid” (or sweets from strangers) since if there was anything iffy in them it could easily be traced back to the home address of the person who gave it to you.
I probably would say yes to one or two tbh. Most of the houses we go to belong to people we know. If we went to a party instead I’d probably have a drink or two anyway so why not.

@ThoraZ - Yes, it's very much as you imagine. Most people are set up at the end of their drive or garage, so you don't really knock on anyone's door. There's usually lots of people milling around, telling the kids how awesome they look. Offer a warm drink and sometimes something a little stronger, hotdogs, Chilli. Popcorn. People here really make an effort.

I feel like parents with kids are the highest drinking part of the population in this day and age. I see parents drinking so much around their kids, and yet I barely see anyone else drinking now (outside of people watching live sport).

When I was growing up alcohol was huge with teenagers, starting from alcopops age. Now clubs are dying out because younger generations just aren't that interested. The old man trip to the pub after work has basically died out for various reasons - money, smoking ban, no one else is doing it etc.

I don't have kids and none of my child-free friends drink regularly. It seems mainly just parents drinking to cope with their kids.

It will be interesting to see if the next generation turns to alcohol to cope with their kids or if they just end up staying away from it.

Wait till you get home, you need your wits about you making sure you've not accidentally lost your kid and got the wrong witch, and minding the flappy costumes around the pumpkin candles. Plus cars. A nice glass of something when you get home instead!

I went to one recently in Italy with shots of Limoncello.

I don’t drink much but I don’t see anything wrong with this. As previous posters have said, Halloween is different in the US. Even my experience of traffic and walking around for trick-or-treating is different in the US.

I don’t see it as needing alcohol to do something with your children. It would be more about leaning into the social/party vibe as parents. The previous example of a hot chocolate station represents this well.

There are so many cultural differences between the UK and the US and I often think that Americans are judged unfairly without taking these differences into account.

Some interning points about it being different in the US, people sitting and stopping for a while having a hog dog etc. That doesn't sound so bad. You stop off for 15 mins and have a small nip.

My kids aren't old enough to t or t yet but when I was a child it was a quick enough stop at each house.

I lived in a small cul de sac and all the kids would then go to one house for a party. Maybe the parents had a glass of something then I don't know, i was too concerned eating my body weight in sugar.

I wouldn't have an issue with mulled wine at a Christmas event.

Also shots are certainly a thing here.

No, it’s not an American thing. I’m an American living in the US, and I have never heard of this. In many states it would likely be illegal anyway.

Given that the UK consumes more alcohol per person than the US, it’s more likeky to be a British thing. But MN hates Americans…

I think there would be people who would take one and warm up a bit, then there would be others that get very drunk (I’d probably be in the second group if I’m being very honest). I get that it’s trying to create a party atmosphere but I think inevitably it would lead to some embarrassed children and parents the next day if not a fight or an accident or lost child.

People are already walking around with their kids in the dark, all darting about and it seems common sense with crossing roads goes put of the window on Halloween. Adding alcohol to the mix, doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

I don’t know - I think in the US it’s a much bigger thing than here so it’s seen as like a party and a big event. I‘m sure parents are perfectly capable of either saying no or having a couple and being perfectly fine to supervise children.

Most people only trick or treat for an hour or so.

It depends on where u live surely

We do it all the time. Nothing odd about it.

But I do not live in the UK, so that might be why.

I should say we do it in the neighbourhood, so everyone sort of knows everyone.

Not everyone takes or supplies alcohol, and there is never any pressure to do so. We call it the adults treats. I don't drink much at all, but will have one or two on the night.

I do not see the harm or the outcry really.

We go on to have a street do after the kids walk about, so it is just more of a social thing tbh. It is probably the one time a chuck of neighbours really have the chance to get together.

It sounds fun

I wouldn't have an issue with mulled wine at a Christmas event.

What's the difference?

In the neighborhood where I live in the US trick-or-treating is like a block party. We don't hand out shots but people do have things like hard cider for the parents. And there's also food. A close friend of mine has something similar in her neighborhood and they actually club together and hire a taco truck.

Sounds great fun

Sounds very tacky!

I mean, at this time of year it's traditional to enjoy say, cider with a sausage roll or hot-dog, or maybe mulled wine...I can get on board with those.

But shots...in my experience it's only people who want to get drunk who drink those - they're not very enjoyable in themselves.

And you I am afraid, sound like a snob.

Some places it is summer during Halloween, and mulled wine would most certainly not be on offer.

And not all shots are pure tequila or hard tack.

My neighborhood does it. There is also a kids party after TorT hours and an adult party. My neighborhood had TorT on Saturday night. And a lot of people sat in the driveway with a fire pit… candy for the kids and drinks for the adults. It’s a great time! If parents get cold they warm themselves by the fire pit and catch up with their kids a few houses down. Shots are easy and relatively inexpensive to hand out in bulk vs a glass of wine or a spiked warm drink.

Traffic isn’t a big issue… I think I saw 2 cars driving through the neighborhood during the evening.

The taking mystery liquids made me laugh… I know it’s a very un-MN concept but I live in a very friendly neighborhood. During the summer we have “TGIF’ where people can sign up to ‘host’ the neighborhood for a couple of hours. Everyone stops by, brings a beer or a soft drink, brings a snack to share, a chair, and hangs out in the driveway to chat for a couple of hours. I guess I generally trust my neighbors not to poison me 🤣

And what is Halloween if not the classiest of holidays?

Oh and a lot of festive shots are pre mixed with something else and are sippable vs throwing back a Jack Daniels or Tequila.

Last year one of our neighbours had bottles of beer for the parents walking round with the kids. We all thought it was a great idea!

You'd have to be a pretty shit driver to be driving fast enough to cause harm in a halloween neighbourhood

I came across this a couple of years ago where I live (also the US). Honestly I took the 'shot' lol. It was a sealed mini plastic bottle of fireball whiskey so no need to worry about what was in it. I wasn't drunk and stumbling around afterwards and everything was fine. Some parents were walking around with a beer or wine in a tumbler. Halloween is a big deal here and a big party night. Once they aren't obnoxiously drunk who cares?