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Tricks or Treats

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I was reading this post, and it kind of sparked a question I’ve been thinking about the last few years.
When I was younger I went trick-or-treating all the time by myself (with my friends or siblings…meaning, no parents.) I lived in Utah…in Happy Valley. It was very safe and my parents didn’t worry at all.
But the world has gotten scarier, and I live in Arizona (the kidnapping capitol of America) and I really feel nervous about the thought of sending my kids off to trick or treat by themselves. Plus you never know what could be in the candy…if some weirdo has done something to it.
So my husband and I discussed it, and here’s where we landed: our church does a trick or treat in the parking lot with all the church goers and they decorate their open trunks where the candy is. It’s called a ‘trunk or treat.’ Definitely a great way to get a lot of candy fast. And we feel safe there. We figured our kids can do the trunk or treat and then we could have a super-fun Halloween party on Halloween (since the trunk or treat isn’t always on Halloween.)

I like this plan, because I love to throw Halloween parties, but the kids still get to trick-or treat. Although they won’t have the same fun memories as I did, but I guess they will make their own different ones.

What do you think? Will you send your kids out to trick-or-treat? Will you only let them go if an adult is there? Do you feel like your neighborhood is safe enough for this? What other alternatives have you considered?

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12 Comments

  1. I would let them in my parent's Mesa neighborhood, and maybe around a couple neighborhoods up here in Utah. It would have to be a place and down streets where I know most of the people. But they would need somebody older seeing as there are mean kids that TOT as well and I've heard of candy being swiped out of younger kids' hands. Sad. Pathetic, too. Anyway, I really like your idea. I'm not much of a party thrower, but maybe you could talk about what you plan to do at the party and give us who are not creative some good ideas.

  2. Stephanie says:

    I think Halloween is a great time to say hi to your neighbors and enjoy each other's company as a community. That said, it's totally too scary to let your kids go alone in the dark. So let them go to a couple houses before it gets too dark, or go with 'em. I don't think I want my kids to miss out on the fun that is halloween!

  3. We take our little one to the local zoo for trick or treating…I think it's perfect because it's super fun, they have lots of candy, there are tons of kids around, but it's safer than just roaming the streets!

  4. My son is going Trick or treating for the first time this year (he is 2 today!), so of course I am going with him, but even when he gets older, I think I would be going with my kids for quite some time (even though our neighborhood is pretty safe, our next door neighbor is actually a cop, as you said you just never really know).

    When I was growing up, we lived in a decent neighborhood, surrounded by not so decent ones. I remember up until I was 13 or 14, my uncle would take my friends, my sisters, and me around in the bed of his pickup (although I think that's illegal now!), and he would follow us while we went up to houses, and EVERY year, my stepmom and my dad would go through our candy. Anything not sealed, or just not looking right, got thrown away. I will be doing the same with my kids.

    I think your idea of the church party is a great one, although when your kids get older, they may want to form other plans with friends that aren't from the church, and in that case, I would probably still insist that an adult at least be on the street and within eye range!

  5. Amy @ Increasingly Domestic says:

    We have taken our kids trick or treating as well as trunk or treating and the best memories for us is Trunk or Treat. The people go all out on the car decorations. One year we turned the bed of our truck into a giant volcano with dry ice, complete with confetti erruptions. It really is so much fun!

  6. My daughter brings her 2 children to our house for Halloween. They Trick or Treat on my street and a couple of other places. Right now, they are just happy to get a few pieces of candy.
    Then we go to our church where they do Lite in the Nite. It is a walk through about the story of Jesus, and some of the Bible characters. They get treats as they go, and at the end they get to play games and eat hot dogs. There is also a bouncy house. We had a really good attendence last year because it is a safe place for the kids.

  7. Chelsea_Renee says:

    My kid's are still really young, but they won't be going by themselves anytime in the foreseeable future. AND I do a sex offender search before going out trick or treating and avoiding those blocks all together. And no haunted houses in a stranger's house…that's just weird.

    Also, my son's birthday is on Halloween, so a party every year is a awesome alternative.

  8. Rafael's Mum says:

    My children are teenagers now but still reproach me for never having allowed the trick or treat going. They feel they missed out… In the neighbourhood we were living in when they were young, several (quite menacing) youth gangs were hanging out on the street, so firstly, we felt it was not safe for them to do so. Secondly, the many elderly living around us, were absolutely terrified! They were shaking if the bell rang and pretending not to be home..and I did not want to add to their distress. One neighbour told me, she did not dare to leave for the night, in case her home got burnt down or something, so she stayed home, with the light off, and not answer the door. The year before, she did the same thing, and because she did not answer, acid was thrown over her door. The police did nothing.. 'we cannot do anything if a crime has not been committed', so being scared is not enough. With the acid, they could not proof who it was, so again nothing. So with this atmosphere in the neighbourhood, I did not take them trick or treating and they still feel they missed out on a part of their youth… It is hard to find a solution that both gives them the memories AND keeps everybody safe. Really sad that is the case nowadays…

  9. You may not remember, but until we were about 5 or so, Mom and Dad made sure that there was a (babysitting age) sibling to accompany us around the block. And then for the next several years, it was as a group of siblings/friends…although you may have broken away from the sibling pack earlier than I did.

    I love taking the kids out trick-or-treating and it's a major necessity for my toddlers to have accompaniment. So we've been taking them all as a group. Felic has not yet gone out on her own w/ friends, although in TX, it's basically a humongous block party with zillions of parents milling about, carrying their beer/margarita in a Dixie cup. I still want to keep eyes on my kids tho.

  10. JSM Narramore says:

    I say a parent should go with them. I like the trunk or treat idea. My husbands job has a party a couple days before with the same idea. The trunk or treat and have fun games for the kids like the cake walk and bobbing for apples. If your job or your husbands does something like that then go to both and then on Halloween you could go down your street and if you don't trust certain neighbors just skip those houses. It is too scary these days with all the creepers to have complete trust that your kids will be safe by themself.

  11. Our local university hosts a trick or treat in the dorms. Inside (so no need for heavy coats covering cute costumes) … well lit … and safe!

  12. Landon and Kylie says:

    Just food for thought…my parents are "empty nesters," around 50 years old, and my mom LOVES it when the neighbor kids come over and show off their costumes. One year their neighborhood did a trunk or treat, but of course they didn't go, or even know about it, not having kids themselves. I totally understand why in some places it's necessary to keep the kids inside, but if you feel safe in your neighborhood I think it's a nice idea to visit each other and perhaps get to know people better. I would never let my kids go alone though. If they're too old to go with an adult, they're too old to be Trick-or-Treating. 🙂

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