What You Need to Know About 6-Foot Trick-or-Treaters

[demmiblue]

I thought it was all about big boys, who should have known better, shaking me down for candy. They'd arrive in clumps, shout "trick or treat," and shove undecorated brown paper bags in my direction. It didn't feel right.

Then again, some things don't make sense until you've lived them with your own child -- and not a moment sooner.

The tale I tell today is from the year 2000, Halloween day. My 15-year-old son, a sophomore at Davis High School, comes home and says, "Mom, I have an idea."

Then he pauses. "No, forget it."

...

At 7:15, guys start showing up. One is half in costume, the rest in school clothes. Like 15-year-olds everywhere, they come in a range of sizes. One boy is 6'2" and speaks in a deep bass. Another is only 5'4" but loud. The house reverberates with sound.

Even though my son knows I bought candy, I hear him say, "Wanna go out for a while and trick or treat?"

...

That night I was reminded that parents are not the only ones who regret the passing years. A year earlier, for the first time, my son gave out candy instead of trick-or-treating. It was an OK experience, but not worth repeating. It's much more fun to go trick-or-treating with a bunch of guys and if the neighbors are grumpy, it's easier to laugh things off when you're in a crowd.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-you-need-to-know-about-6-foot-trick-or-treaters_b_6030982

I found this in a response to this post:

Link to tweet

[msongs]

1. trick or treat used to be kids from the block and down the street. now its flatbeds packed

with kids from miles away

[Croney]

3. Wow! What do you give out? I wanna go to your house!

We're lucky to get 40-50 people and we live in the city. My daughter gets 10 in her neighborhood.

[Shrike47]

2. If you show up at my door, you get candy, no matter how old you are.

Of course, we rarely get more than 30 trick or treaters.

[marble falls]

11. And as much as you want at mine. Every once in a while I get a knuckle head...

When we lived in Nebraska we read in the Omaha paper how the neighbors of the guy who owns Godfather pizza and hands out 1lb Hershey bars, tried to sue him into stopping that, because churches were sending busloads of kids to the development he lived in. He won. But I know where he's coming from - childhood poverty.

[Sneederbunk]

4. In my town in the 50s you would not be caught dead

trick or treating after the 5th Grade.

[shraby]

5. I always give them candy, but have them sing Mary had a Little Lamb first.

They usually have fun doing it.

[JaneQPublic]

6. I've given old "kids" prunes.

They come individually wrapped now (the prunes, not the kids).

I figure if they come driving their own car, they have it coming.

[sdfernando]

14. All kids come individually wrapped....

unless they are twins, triplets, or more.

[JaneQPublic]

15. Ya got me there!

[SWBTATTReg]

7. I think that this is a phase all kids go through. After a while, they'll (the older kids)

realize that it's better to just stop by the store and buy some, particularly if they get together w/ all their friends and all of them bring something.

[appleannie1943]

8. I have a learning disabled son with health issues.

When his siblings were young, he stayed home while I dressed up and went out with the other kids. When we got back, my bag went to him. His brother took over doing that in his teen years.

[blueinredohio]

9. If that's the worst they do is trick or treat yeah I'll give them candy.

Being teenagers they could be doing much worse.

[hurple]

10. I'm 50 and I want to Trick or Treat...

Why should I have to miss the fun because I'm older?

Ageism!!!

[SunSeeker]

12. I have a 5'10" 14 year old who said he won't trick or treat this year.

He was too embarrassed to because he is too tall and the neighbors might give him a hard time. It made me so sad.

[marybourg]

13. I only gave big "kids" candy if they

were in costume. I remember some leaving and coming back in costume. Some just left.