Bus Loads of kids... for trick or treating.

[Papa Deuce]

My BIL lives in a fairly affluent community where the houses are all very close. Tons of homes. Kinda wierd, I know. But here is the thing, people from far less affluent areas actually bring BUS LOADS of kids to the neighborhood, I guess hoping to get candy.

So, what happens is that many of the locals just won't give candy away.

How would you feel if kids from neighborhoods 2 -3 miles away from your own were shipped in to your neighborhood? Would you give them candy?

 

[ADisneygirl]

I would give it to them. People drive their kids into my neighborhood too. It's not that affluent, but I guess because the houses are a little newer then people assume they'll get better candy here.

 

[sissybells]

That happens in my neighborhood. I don't mind at all. It's all for the kids anyway so I don't think they think about it. All they want is candy and since I have alot of it I don't mind at all. I think also the people from not so good neighborhoods may just be thinking they feel safer in a more affluent nieghborhood.

 

[Papa Deuce]

That happens in my neighborhood. I don't mind at all. It's all for the kids anyway so I don't think they think about it. All they want is candy and since I have alot of it I don't mind at all. I think also the people from not so good neighborhoods may just be thinking they feel safer in a more affluent nieghborhood.

A perspective I had not thought of.

 

[Tissa]

I'd probably stop giving out the candy.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

We don't give out candy because of the car and van loads of kids that come in. Mostly though it is older kids that push around the little kids though. If we only had little kids, I wouldn't care where they came from.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

When I lived in San Antonio, our neighbors' homes VOMITED decorations on the holidays, which attracts more families to the neighborhood. The people giving out candy would just sit on the edge of the street and pass it out to the kids as they came by.

We averaged giving out between 8 and 11 large bags of candy every year. It was quite expensive...somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-$60. Everyone on our street was a sport about it knowing that we gave several kids a Halloween they couldn't afford otherwise.

Our neighborhood we live in now is more affluent than our previous neighborhood--homes in the 3500 to 7000 sq. foot range. The funny thing is that all the houses are on 3 acre lots on high hills and no one wants to trick or treat here because it's too labor-intensive!

So I'm sitting here with two large bags of candy I purchased "just in case"...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[DVCLiz]

I was just getting ready to post a thread about this. By "affluent" and "less affluent" do you mean black and white? Because we have had almost no "neighborhood" (read white) kids tonight - only three families. But I've had about thirty or forty "out of the neighborhood" (read black) families with kids of all ages.

Some of my neighbors, I am sure, have an issue with this. But, this is my opinion:

Any child who comes to my house on Halloween is to be treated by me and my children with respect and with a full understanding of the reason for this night. They will be given candy, they will get compliments on their costume, and they will have a good experience at my house. Period. No matter how old they are. No matter what color they are. No matter whether or not they made an effort to wear a costume.

If I were a mom on "the other side of town" I'd do exactly the same thing - take my children to a neighborhood where there are safe streets and people who can afford to hand out a Twix bar for my kids. I'm grateful I can buy candy, I'm happy my girls are out trick or treating and having fun, and if I can provide that for someone else's kids, I'll do it every time.

We haven't had actual buses, but we have had several vans tonight. And all those kids have gotten a Happy Halloween from me!!!!

Gee, can you tell I feel strongly about this????

 

[Marseeya]

It's that way in my town. I mentioned before on here that our town does ToT on the Thursday before Halloween and other towns do it on different days. Tiny villages out in the boonies might have a party in a community center, but they'll pretty much fill up their pickup trucks and dump them off in town, then take them all to the other towns as well.

We'd never quit giving out candy. It's not the kids' faults! (and this is different from those who are talking about a safer neighborhood... this is a whole different ball of wax) Basically, we set aside some "special" candy for kids we know and just have as much as we can for all the rest. When we run out, we run out. They don't continue knocking on doors, because they're only allowed to go to houses where the porch light is on, or someone is sitting on the porch.

 

[Good Ol Gal]

WE had tons of kids that were not from our neighborhood tonight. They all got the same as any other kid.

As long as they're polite and kind to my children who are passing out the candy and glow sticks they can come by my house.

But we do have to shut down earlier than the alloted time b/c we do run out of candy earlier.

 

[Bashful2]

I always took DD to another neighborhood to trick or treat. Ours is mostly retired people and very few participate. Sometimes she went with friends who lived in that neighborhood. We did notice carloads of kids coming into the neighborhoods. Some that my DD recognized were from the projects. I was glad to see that people who lived there didn't seem to have a problem with it.

 

[bsnyder]

We had kids I didn't recognize (we've lived here a while, and we know most of the neighborhood kids) but I don't care if people come from other neighborhoods. But, we ran out too. I've had to turn off the outside lights to discourage anyone else from ringing the doorbell.

I'm blaming it on DH. He was manning the door for a while, and he didn't adhere to the "one piece" rule.

The good news is there's nothing left over to tempt me!

 

[mickeyfan2]

I would give them candy.

 

[C.Ann]

Never questioned where anyone came from - just handed out the candy till it was gone..

 

[Michie]

Who gives a rooty toot toot if they are from a different state, neighborhood, country. I would much rather see kids trick or treating than getting into trouble. No matter if they have to take a flight.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I was just getting ready to post a thread about this. By "affluent" and "less affluent" do you mean black and white? Because we have had almost no "neighborhood" (read white) kids tonight - only three families. But I've had about thirty or forty "out of the neighborhood" (read black) families with kids of all ages.

To a point, I do mean that, I guess. But certainly white kids as well. The area they live in has lots of older people, and not too many kids at all. So just about any kid would be a non local.

I see your point.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We live in a very nice community north of Detroit. We get many vans full of kids from many who are from Detroit and the surounding areras. We live a bit father away from the main road and not as many make it to our house as my friends house who is closer to the main road. (where the houses are a bit bigger and father apart) There is a lot more activitiy out that way.

If we lived in Detroit (or another inner city where the crime rates are very hight) there is no way I would let my kids go door to door (unless it was to a good friends house) But kids should be albe to trick or treat in a safe place. If you don't think your neighborhood is, why not go to one that is.

We get a good mix of kids who live close by (and you know) and ones who are "imports" for trick or treating. I only mind it when they run across lawns with out looking (and trample plants) or if they are rude. I didn't see either of those this eveving.

It started to drizzel around 8:00 and that pretty much stopped the Trick or Treaters. Good thing because I would have to start dipping into my kids stash. (they have enough anyway!)
On my street most of my neighboors look for my kids and have "specail treats" just for them. One gave DD a toy, another had special treats that my youngest who has food allergies can eat. (I like my street. )

 

[justhat]

We're on the opposite end of this. We live in downtown DC, in a condo building surrounded by hotels, apartment and condo buildings, offices, and stores. There's nowhere to trick or treat here so we drove my daughter to a neighborhood with houses about 3 or 4 miles from here. As far as affluent vs. non-affluent, well, that doesnt' make a difference as there are condos in my building that cost several million dollars, but condos across the street that are $200,000. The neighborhood we went to has homes in the $900,000 plus range. But that's DC and everything here is expensive so it's not like they were these huge, gorgeous homes, nor was that why we chose to go there. We picked it cause I know people in that neighborhood, so I know the homes mostly all have kids, it's a safe area, there are sidewalks, etc. So, one day when we move out of this condo and into a home, if kids come to trick-or-treat at our house we'll give them candy no matter where they're from.

 

[Forevryoung]

We loved being driven to a new/different area some years because the houses in my neighborhood were too far apart! It was way too difficult to walk from house to house at 1+ acres each and get all the candy we wanted to

I miss those days

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

That happens in my neighborhood. I don't mind at all. It's all for the kids anyway so I don't think they think about it. All they want is candy and since I have alot of it I don't mind at all. I think also the people from not so good neighborhoods may just be thinking they feel safer in a more affluent nieghborhood.

Once upon a time--I lived on a farm. There was no walking to go trick or treating--we had to drive TO a neighborhood just so we could walk around so that I could go trick or treating.

I'd wish they'd bus kids to our neighborhood--seems we may have gotten a little more this year--but seems like we should have so many more. Always candy leftover.