Trick or Treating - why do we spoil things in this country?

[Goofyish]

I was listening to local radio yesterday and they had a police representative on saying they have asked all shops and supermarkets in the area to stop selling flour and eggs to children under 16.

The reason was that groups of kids are throwing the flour and eggs at people doors and cars if they get no response from trick or treating, or they don't get the treat they want (usually money!!!)!

Treat or Treating always seems to be so much fun in the US with whole families going our in costume. Isn't it a shame that some people in the this country can't so the same and ruin it for evryone else

 

[SEVANS2208]

They'll just get the flour and eggs elsewhere.

Personally, I hate trick or treating - it's one thing I wish the Americans had kept to themselves!!! Last year someone threw an egg at our window and we HAD given them a treat - you just can't win.

I don't mind the little kids coming round with their parents but the bigs kids do it out of pure greed and sometimes just to cause trouble and half the time they don't even bother to dress up!

 

[dazeddaisy]

I am slighlty dreading this Halloween. There are alot more kids in the area I live in now, and they are not the nicest kids in the world. Hopefully it will be raining this year.

That said the past 3 Halloweens we were extra careful about what to give kids because we had a rock garden out the front and the last thing we want was a rock in the living room.

 

[Joanne UK]

I hate going out the morning after Halloween as the pavements are such a mess. Unfortunately this year, with it being on a weekday I'll be out doing the school run before they've had a chance to clean it up. Apparently now they don't just trick or treat at your door, they approach you in the street and if you refuse to give them anything they throw an egg at you, I'm talking about the idiotic minority here obviously.

 

[Frances999]

I'm not a fan of Trick or Treating......luckily where we live we don't get any trick or treaters at all (or at least we haven't ever had any before). It's not something I would want my children to do. We sometimes have a halloween party (or go to one), but that's it for halloween festivities.

 

[Frances999]

Apparently now they don't just trick or treat at your door, they approach you in the street and if you refuse to give them anything they throw an egg at you, I'm talking about the idiotic minority here obviously.

That's disgraceful. If that ever happened to me goodness knows what I would do.

 

[Gymbomom]

Wow, sorry I posted in a UK thread....whoops!!!!!!

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

Unfortunately, Trick or Treating has given many a person the licence to misbehave. Like others have said here, I wish this was one american tradition they had kept.

What really annoys me though is that we have British traditions dropped because they were seen as "hassling" the general public....

...how many times do you see children collecting a "penny for the guy" or "bob a job"? As I said, either seen as hassling the public, begging, or unsafe for children to roam the streets....whereas Trick or Treat appears to be acceptable.

..and before anybody flames me for being a kiljoy, I'm all in favour of people having fun. I would love to see children carrying their Guy again and collecting for their night of fun.

 

[marv]

I let my children trick and treat, but i go with them, always have. They are now 12 and i will still go with them. I don't go to every door with them ime just there in the background supervising. It is the parents that should be made to clean up the streets and make sure that no eggs or flour are in their childs posession before they leave the house.
Their just seems to be this attitude out of site out of mind regarding parents and their children nowadays( state not all parents),but it only takes a small minority to spoil what should be a fun time for kids.

Marv

 

[Goofyish]

Wow, sorry I posted in a UK thread....whoops!!!!!!

You are more than welcome to post on any UK thread

 

[natalielongstaff]

i take my children trick or treating just to people we know. i also welcome trick or treaters to the house but only if they are dressed up
luckily we never seem to have any trouble

 

[Cyrano]

Apart from going to Grannies and Aunties trick or treat; thankfully, is not a big thing up here.

The PTA have organised a Halloween disco so that at least we are keeping the P1-7's occupied. Mind you they are probably not the ones that everyone is referring too

 

[KayleeUK]

Fingers crossed we have never had any trouble. I love to see the little ones with the mum and dad

 

[Double k]

If trick or teaters dress up and are little one's with there mum or dad its all good fun and in that case i enjoy trick or treating it's the older one's who just turn up no effort put in and wanting money for fags or what ever that get me

Cheers
Kev

 

[mandymouse]

I'm sorry but I just don't get it !!! We spend all our time telling our children not to talk to strangers and trying to keep them safe, then on Hallowe'en they are supposed to go off and ask people for sweets and money - it just doesn't make sense. I know in the U.S. they have it as a family occasion and celebrate it, but it feels that in the last few years we are 'supposed' to do it too. I'm sorry, but I'm a huge kill-joy, when the kids come home from school on the 31st the front door is locked and the curtains drawn and we ignore what is going on outside.

 

[musketeer]

I don't mind the little ones who dress up, but what i do mind is the older kids who shout at you and just cause a general nuisance because you wouldn't give them anything for trick or treating, my kids don't go out trick or treating simply because we don't really agree with it

 

[wils]

As others have previously posted I have nothing against the neighbours' kids knocking on the door in costume with a parent lurking in the background but I hate watching the gangs of youths congregate who have made no effort!

Has to be one of less favourite nights of the year!

 

[Scottish_Maleficent]

When I was a kid, we didn't do trick or treat..........we got dressed up - in whatever my mother could muster together - usually involving a black wig and a bit of rouge, and...... 'went out for our Halloween'. Sounds daft I know. We sang a wee song when knocked on the doors of the neighbours 'The sky is blue the grass is green, please may we have our halloween'. Then we would be invited in usually and made to sing a song or tell a joke before we got our bounty -an apple and some nuts. Sweets were very rare. If we were really lucky we got 10p!!!.....Aahh, the good old days!! I try and avoid taking the kids out for 'Trick or treat', usually we have a PTA disco for them to go to. It's all so commercial - nobody really does homemade costumes now. I remember being Miss Thailand - a nightdress with all my dads ties draped over me and my mum's black wig and a geisha girl - my mums dressing gown and a cushion up my bottom and again her black wig

 

[marv]

I also make Hotdogs, Burgers, fried onions and of course PUMPKIN PIE and i have my couldrun waiting at the front door with sweets and marshmallows for good trick or treaters.

Marv

 

[diberry]

I'm sorry, but I'm a huge kill-joy, when the kids come home from school on the 31st the front door is locked and the curtains drawn and we ignore what is going on outside.

I'm glad you said that Mandy because I feel the same. We live opposite a junior school so we get hordes of kids but we don't know any of them as the people in our road came here with young children 20 years ago and we all had fun together - I remember making a skeleton suit for my son when he was little and painted all the bones in white onto black material!!! - but now all our children have flown the nest. I don't agree with encouraging the attitude of "if you don't give us something nice we'll do something nasty to you" and I certainly don't agree, as someone else has said, with children knocking on strangers' doors. That's just asking for trouble but a lot of parents don't care as long as the kids are out of the house. I used to buy sweets for the kids who came to the door, but now we don't answer the door and someone did vandalise part of our garden last year, sadly. Yes, it's true, I'm really turning into a grumpy old woman!!!