Night has fallen upon the neighborhood- porch lights are lit by anticipating residents waiting for their trick or treaters. The door bell rings and when the door is open, they see a teenager, not even wearing a costume. They don’t even say, “Trick or treat!”, just holding their pillow case that is jam packed with candy in the resident’s face.
Trick or treat night is an activity widely enjoyed by children across the country every October, but, when does one stop being the trick or treater, and start handing out the candy themselves? The act of trick or treating is largely seen as a children’s activity. Movies featuring young children’s feet padding down the sidewalk as they approach the next porch wondering what candy they’ll receive- but, what about when they start middle school? Should there really be an age limit on free candy?
On the other hand, if teens aren’t meant to go trick or treating, what are they meant to do on Halloween night? Perhaps they stay at home and watch a scary movie, or partake in a Halloween party? However, this is always not the case. Teens who don’t partake in trick or treating aren’t always straying cooped up at home all night. Instead, they’re participating in the ‘trick’ aspect of the holiday- egging or toilet papering housing, smashing beloved jack-o-lanterns, stealing or destroying holiday decor, or sometimes even harsher crimes. While they may be seen as harmless fun to some, these actions can be incredibly upsetting to residents and be costly fixes.
This, of course, isn’t always the case. Many teens choose to stay back at home, or even join in on the trick or treating fun. “I feel like when you’re a teenager, you should still be able to trick or treat.” Ki’shary Ellington (11) explains, “You should still be able to enjoy things from your childhood- it gives you a chance to dress up and hang out with family and friends. People may make fun of you, but, who cares if you’re having fun? Teens deserve to have fun too.” She even points out, “It can also help teens and older kids who are going through a hard time in their lives to bring back some good childhood memories.”
So, at the end of the night, what’s worse- giving out a few extra handfuls of candy to your local high school football player, or waking up in the morning to a house reeking of raw egg?
