So annoying, ppl knocking at my door and the light is NOT on

[mrsbornkuntry]

When we were heading home last night I saw a few cars from outside the neighborhood driving the kids around. If they just dropped the kids off and walked around the neighborhood I wouldn't have cared, but there weren't a lot of houses giving out candy so they would let the kids out for a couple of houses, then drive them to the next couple of houses, etc. Maybe I've just gotten old and crotchety but it annoyed me that these people were creating traffic in our quiet little neighborhood that hardly has any traffic at the same time that my little kids were out walking after dark.

This really annoyed me last night, too. The end of our road had cars lined up parked on both sides of the street and on top of that there were people driving from house to house and we don't have that big of a neighborhood that you can't just walk it, we don't have sidewalks so it made it really dangerous for the kids who were walking like us. Plus at 8 (ToT was from 6-8) I was supposed to pick up my son from play rehearsal at school, I was so nervous about the traffic on my road that I had DH drive instead. DS13 stayed at home to hand out candy and we ran out by 7:00 from all of the families that drove in.

We didn't get anymore TOTers after we turned off our porch light though, it probably helped that the neighbors on each side of our house had theirs off too.

 

[mjkacmom]

That's crazy. Does your area not have set hours for trick or treating? For our city, it's 6-8pm. And I've never had an issue with kids not observing those times. In fact, most kids come between 6 and 7, and I only have a handful of kids after 7pm. But the ones that did come after 7pm last night got huge handfuls of candy from me. I bought the same amount of candy that I normally do, but the weather was cold and rainy. We only got a fraction of the amount of trick or treaters that normally come.

No hours - starts after the elementary schools' parades (about 3:30), and continues until around 9 - 10. It's been this way for at least 40 years.

 

[Melct]

We took the kids trick-or-treating in the neighborhood that I grew up in. I was disappointed by the number of houses that didn't participate this year. More than half of the houses didn't have their outside lights on. When i was a teenager kids would toilet paper the trees of the houses that didn't participate (but there was only a few back then). The halloween spirit is dying...pun intended.

The other thing that bothered me is it seems that every parent now drives their kid from house to house. This created a traffic flow problem and was dangerous for the few walkers. And we wonder why America has a childhood obesity problem.

Melissa

 

[kohlby]

We started at 6:00, when it was still light making it harder to see if lights were on. And the older kids ran ahead, since we were in a group so some houses without lights did get knocked on. Though I kept telling them. It got MUCH better as it got darker. Both hubby and I went, since we have three kids and that makes it easier to watch them. We did not leave candy out - I did that twice while I was in my house with a baby trying to sleep and it got taken right away. We rarely get more than 10 ToT'ers here anyway. We went in a neighborhood that wasn't ours, where we lived years ago and went with friends who did live there -- so I brought them extra candy to hand out.

I was suprised at the number of houses not doing it this year. But I'm in the Bible Belt and it was Wed night - so church night.

 

[Glennie5]

I think it is just common courtesy that if you take your kids out trick or treating that you also hand out candy to other trick or treaters. If we are not home to hand it out ourselves because we are out with our kids then we leave a bowl with candy on our porch.

 

[2binak]

We both go but we leave a bowl outside.

We do that too. We just wouldn't feel right taking from other houses and not giving at ours. We've also known people who leave their bowl with a neighbor who says, "and here's some from the Smith's who live next door."

 

[laceemouse]

I think it is confusing both ways. A friend and I took the kids around her neighborhood and lots of people had lights on and even decorations but did not answer the door. We do not go up to dark houses though.

So many people don't participate anymore, especially here in the Bible belt where everyone thinks Halloween is evil. Our church has a carnival and some people only do things like that.

Another issue is that as a neighborhood ages many older people just don't participate any more. Their kids are grown and gone. My neighborhood is mostly like that.

When our kids were little I stayed home and gave out candy and my hubby took the kids out. Now our youngest is pretty much outgrowing it. I miss the good old days with little kids

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

I could not get past the OP saying they take their kids out to get candy but don't do the same for other children...that is cheap and a mooch ...and I think what goes around , comes around in karma or blessings or whatever you like to call it! Shame on you!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We have a yard full of decorations...lights, huge inflatable black cat, jack o lantern, pumpkins, glowing witch's cauldron, glowing skeleton, flying ghost, shaking screaming monster in our shrubs, black light on our porch, grave yard, etc. DH and I take turns taking our girls out trick or treating so that one of us can man the door. By shortly after 8pm...my girls are beat and ready to go to bed...so, I turn off everything in the yard and the cat deflates. i.e. my porch light is dark, my display is dark/turned off, and my big cat is now a big deflated pile of fabric...yet people still continued to ring our doorbell! I even had to turn one family away from my driveway as I'm turning everything off. I mean really...if I'm out in my yard turning off everything, that should be your sign right there to move along.

We ignored the first two groups that came to our door after the display went dark, but by the third group I was getting ticked. DD6 ran up to the door and yelled "That bee girl has been to our door before! We've already given her candy and now she's back for more!" Needless to say- they left. By the 4th doorbell ring I let our dog out of seclusion and let her charge the front door. Mind you, she's a very sweet dog but she goes nuts if people are at the door. So she barked her head off at the people on the other side- and that was the last anyone came to our house.

 

[tianna26]

We had candy & our lights on no one came. Maybe cause it was raining or people tired from the Giants parade earlier that day

 

[Hannathy]

We had no decorations except for pumpkins on the porch. I took my own out trick or treating, cold and rainy here. We didn't stay out long.

so you went out trick or treating but won't give out any to other kids.

 

[Mkrop]

We dont have set hours, it is usually 6-8 or 9. We hardly had any kids, I was bummed.

I left once to drive DH and DS9 to his buddies house up the road, DS15 was here to give out candy.

Then when DS15 wanted to go to a friend's house, I left a bowl out for about a 20 minutes. I was worried it would get emptied but it did not.

Normally DS15 would have walked to his friends but because of Hurricaine Sandy, things were still dicey in places so it was best I drove him. Him and his buddies did TOT for a bit, no one cares that they are in HS. Then they just hung out and played video games.

There were years where DH and I were split up with the kids, he was with older DS and I was with younger DS. I feel that the years I did not give out until later in the evening, when younger DS got tired, evens out with now that I am home all night (for the most part), or when we gave out prior to having kids and will give out once my kids are grown.

I just wish people would come to our neighborhood

 

[gwynne]

People were knocking on our door while we were eating dinner. I'm not going to interrupt dinner to go answer it since the light was off. Just because we go out trick or treating doesn't mean I have to reciprocate and give out candy. Half the people who come to my neighborhood are dropped off in herds by car and are way too old to be out scrounging for free candy anyway. I donated candy to my children's school Halloween Festival.

I'm confused. Did you run out of candy very early, or did you just not give at your home, and trick or treated at others?

We had some neighborhood kids, and maybe some dropped off, but that's ok. We give candy, either way.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

We just moved this past may from a busy street to one right by a park. Last year we had one kid. This year we probably saw 150 kids. Many kids are dropped off in the park to TOT around there and you know what? We loved it! Our house was really decorated. However, I had to take DD around. DH got tied up in traffic and was not home when I left. I felt awful, but the house was unmanned for about 30 minutes. I am sure we confused kids since I left the inflatables up (I thought DH would be home any second). It was a great night and we loved being in the middle if the action, finally. It seems sad to me that people turn off their lights and hide inside just to avoid some cute kids looking for candy. Come on, you were all young once!

 

[staceywj]

Over the years I can find aspects of Halloween annoying especially being a teacher when it doesn't fall on the weekend. But, just being hit by Hurricane Sandy I now recognize the hope, sharing and generosity that is needed to fulfill this childhood tradition. This was taken away from my 4 and 8 year old this year since we still do not have power for the 6th day. From this experience I now have a new perspective and will appreciate that we are safe and can one day enjoy and appreciate the day.

 

[angelbear425]

I could not get past the OP saying they take their kids out to get candy but don't do the same for other children...that is cheap and a mooch ...and I think what goes around , comes around in karma or blessings or whatever you like to call it! Shame on you!

Seriously? If the OP is taking her kids around, how do you expect her to give candy out to others?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Seriously? If the OP is taking her kids around, how do you expect her to give candy out to others?

Well, as many of us have mentioned, there are a few different possibilities:

1) One parent takes the kids around while the other stays home to hand out candy.

2) Leave a bowl of candy outside.

3) Give a bowl of candy to a neighbor and let them hand it out for you.

I'm a single parent and I still manage to work it out so trick or treaters get candy from me and my DD gets to go out trick or treating.

 

[Mkrop]

Well, as many of us have mentioned, there are a few different possibilities:

1) One parent takes the kids around while the other stays home to hand out candy.

2) Leave a bowl of candy outside.

3) Give a bowl of candy to a neighbor and let them hand it out for you.

I'm a single parent and I still manage to work it out so trick or treaters get candy from me and my DD gets to go out trick or treating.

1) If you have another adult or older child, than yes this could work. But there were many years that DH and I were split up with the kids wanting to be with their friends. Or when they were little DH ALWAYS had a trade show on Halloween (why the nursing assoc scheduled it that day I will never now) but some years he could get out of there early and some years he couldnt.

2) I did this for the first time this year, only bc we get so few kids nowadays, and I only put out one bowl, and I knew I would be right back. I have seen too many kids dump the whole bowl, and then there is nothing left for other TOTers. I am not a fan of this.

3) This only works if you have a neighbor who is willing or can do this for you. Some houses are not set up for this.

I said this before, if you cant give out on a given year, then make sure you make up for it before you have kids, when your kids get older and may TOT alone or with only one parent, or after your kids are grown. What is the big deal????? Most of my neighbors are empty nesters, they did their time TOTing and giving out candy, and they still give. Well excpet my one neighbor turns off her light so she can eventually go over her DGD's house and see her. I am cool with that!

 

[Hannathy]

Seriously? If the OP is taking her kids around, how do you expect her to give candy out to others?

If you don't give out candy then your kids shouldn't be going around taking.

There are many ways to do it. You find another person to stay, it could even be a babysitter who is to old to go around, you find someone for your kids to go around with, you leave candy out, etc.

I really hate to see people rudely out with their kids and taking from me when they are to cheap to give candy out to mine. What makes them better than the rest of us. Entitlement continues.

 

[mjkacmom]

Seriously? If the OP is taking her kids around, how do you expect her to give candy out to others?

Um, maybe when she was in her home, and didn't answer the door, but instead came here complaining that TOT'rs were ringing her doorbell?