Trick-or-treating was a big deal when I was a kid, but I hate the idea of taking my own kids. Maybe this sounds strange to most people. Did I have fun? Sure, I did, but it’s a different world now. There’s a lot more to worry about than there used to be.
Growing up in the ’90s, trick-or-treating was completely different
I only remember my older sister taking me once, and then all the other times were just my friend and I going alone. We got to go off by ourselves, which was a huge chunk of the fun. We didn’t need chaperones in the ’90s. Our parents weren’t as worried about us.
While the candy was good, it was really about the freedom and just getting to hang out with my best friend. She lived in a subdivision, so we didn’t need to worry about a ton of traffic or the integrity of the area. Taking off for two hours without adults wasn’t a big deal. Now I couldn’t imagine not really knowing where my kids were for an entire afternoon.
Where I grew up, trick-or-treating was always held on a Sunday afternoon, in broad daylight. Where I live now, it’s Halloween night and overlaps with bedtime. While this would have seemed supercool as a kid, it’s just a pain in the ass as an adult.
Trying to do anything right before bedtime never ends well
The kids are tired, and we’re trying to wind them down, not dress them up. Never mind if they want makeup with their costumes to make them even better. With little kids and the timing, trick-or-treating just isn’t worth the hassle.
I know that it’s tradition, but while I went as a kid, my husband didn’t. Dressing up to collect candy from strangers is such a bizarre concept when you really think about it. So, no, our kids have never been trick-or-treating.
Before you write me off as a Halloween grinch, there are many things that we do to celebrate the holiday instead. We decorate the windows with Halloween clings, we paint or carve pumpkins, we still dress up and have a Halloween-themed dance party. Baking Halloween cut-out cookies is a highlight as well.
Before you worry, my kids are still interested in the fun and celebration of the holiday
We watch fun Halloween movies and find plenty of activities to do. My kids are small yet and not taking them trick-or-treating is also in part to protect them. They don’t deal well with strangers and would be so shy going around to strangers’ houses. They wouldn’t even enjoy it. I know that the whole thing would be a massive ordeal and a terrible failure.
Just because I have positive memories of something as a kid doesn’t mean it’s right for my kids and the times they’re living in. I love Halloween, and there are plenty of other things that we can do that are more fun and make more sense than collecting candy from strangers — and at the end of the night, as long as my kids had fun, isn’t that all that matters?
