Exactly how old is too old to be wandering around a neighborhood dressed as a werewolf, ringing doorbells in an effort to score mountains of free candy?
Some parents believe that you are never too old to celebrate Halloween… my mom being a prime example. She could care less if a horde of teens pulls into her driveway (in a vehicle driven by one of the masked hooligans) and stumbles up her walkway while pulling on the one and only item that resembles anything close to an actual costume (in some cases a Freddy Krueger mask paired with the same jeans and sweatshirt they wore to school that day, in other instances some face paint, jeans and a jacket) in a feeble attempt to round up a few mini Hershey bars. My mom figures it’s Halloween, she has the candy, so why not pass it out?
I, on the other hand, can’t help but raise an eyebrow when I open the door and find a teen dressed like a tiger, kneeling on my front stoop (to disguise the fact that he is taller than me) asking for candy. Somehow the words: “Oh, wow, clever!” aren’t the first ones that come to mind. Seriously, if you sound like James Earl Jones whhen you utter: “trick-or-treat,” then I think it might be time for you to be on the other side of the candy bowl.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for teens celebrating the holiday, I’m just not sure if hitting up neighbors for free candy should be part of the festivities. Don’t local YMCAs host Halloween parties for teens? When I was in high school members of our Key Club (a service organization) would trick-or-treat for UNICEF. At the end of the night they got a ton of money for a worthwhile charity and scored a few pieces of candy to boot.
Before you peg me as a party pooper, I should note that I have never (and would never) denied anyone a free 2-inch candy bar on Halloween. I am nowhere near as stodgy as my former neighbor who turned kids away if he thought they looked too old to be trick-or-treating.
A helpful tip for teens: The voice will get you every time… think Alvin the Chipmunk instead of Fat Albert.
All of this begs the question: Is it a parent’s responsibility to tell a child that he is too old to go trick-or-treating? How old is too old to be knocking on doors to get a sugar fix?
Image by: mywfpl.com
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