Lois

I am truly sorry for what you and your family have lost this year.
Brandie:

Too bad Halloween has not gone well for you this year at all. Odd, Marika called my MiL last night and MiL was worrying because it was a nice night and she wanted to go for a walk but was afraid someone would TP the house if they were not giving out candy. Marika suggested putting out a bowl with a note (which we have done when WE go out for our own ToT), which is what she did. After she got off the phone Marika asked if this was a "Boulder thing." We NEVER had trouble with TPing, eggs, whatnot (even when we lived in a Detroit suburb very close to the city and had about 500 ToT--many comming form unsafe neighborhoods in Detroit proper). We have lived in 5 states in the past 10 years and just not seen that type of junk at all (lucky us), after hearing about your post Marika thinks it is a Colorado thing

On the allergy note, Marika has had a number of friends with serious food allergies (one to tree nuts, peanuts and eggs) and the parents have done one of two things so that their little ones could still ToT:
1. Keep the candy they are able to have and let them "trade in" the rest for a bag or two of their choice of safe treats from the store.
2. Keep a few pieces of their favourtie (safe) candy and leave the rest out for the Great Pumpkin to take and replace with a small toy or game.
Maybe one of these ideas would work for Fiona next year?
Teenagers: Hmmm--where do I go with this (should stay out of it but I feel like I want to comment somehow). First off (I don't think anyone here said this, but I do hear it a lot), I think it is GREAT when teens do trick or treat. I know some people hate it, but really, I am all in favour of them doing something innocent and childlike instead of taking Brandie's bowl, egging, the neighbors, etc. Last night one person questioned poor Marika for being too old to trick or treat

She looks much older than her 10 years (she is 5' 3" and umm, shall we say, curvy?), which is reason enough not to actually question a kid. She felt terrible about it (and she was in costume, very polite and with her kid brother--sheesh). When teens do not have a costume I give them a good natured hard time (I really do think they should dress up) but still much prefer a costumeless trick or treater to a trouble maker any time. On the bigger issue of supervision, personally I think the issue isn't so much whether someone is directly supervising the troublemaking teens at any given time, but whether they have been taught to be polite/repectful and responsible for their actions or not. For example, the kid who cushed the noodles--it sounds like his motehr did not feel he needed to be held responsible for his actions even when she knew what he did so he likely would have done something similar when she was around. I think too many kids are overly supervised and not given the chance to learn how to handle freedom in small, safe, increasing bigger doses over time AND are also overly sheltered from having to deal with the consequences of their actions thus creating a society of self indulgent brats who can''/won't/don't even know how to take responisblity for their own actions. SO THERE! Off the soap box now.
Happy All Sanits Day everyone