trick or treat

[purplerockie]

By allowing our children to "trick or treat" are we inadvertently teaching them to behave like terrorists - I.E Give in to my demands or something bad will happen to you?

[Leotard]

Something like that!! I have been called upon about 6 times already tonight and now i'm running out of change!

 

i'M GOING TO BE FORCED OUT OF MY HOME IN A MINUTE COS OTHERWISE I'LL HAVE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND PRETEND NO ONE'S AT HOME!!!!!

[Greedyfly]

I was a trick or treater and I am not a terrorist and I think it is called - Tradition??

It is hardly a demand - if its such a bother don't answer the door.

[enigma]

It's only a bit of harmless fun and I think that it's very sad that some adults lose the memory of their childhood days - perhaps the trouble is that some didn't have much of a childhood. (I'm not referring to you though Purplerockie) I'm still a bit miffed at the reaction of some adults tonight when I took my eldest daughter who's seven out guising. One woman screamed NO in her face and slammed the door tightly shut and another told her that she had cancelled Halloween because children are far too greedy these days and get far too much anyway. I had to interrupt her mid rant to take my daughter away ! What happened to just politely saying no , sorry or saying that she had nothing left ? Some people are just so rude. I don't think that children are being encouraged to act like terrorists by guising and thankfully i've never been threatened by any kids ..... yet ! I must admit though that I don't encourage my daughter to say trick or treat as this is an American tradition. She simply says "Do you have anything for my Halloween please ?" Polite request , no demand. I had plenty of Halloween goodies over the years in my childhood and now it's time to give something back. It irritates me so much when I hear adults being so rude to young kids. I always go to the doors with my daughter but I stand at the side out of view and let her get on with it. When I heard that woman roar at my daughter , I had to really bite my lip hard because I was half tempted to ring her doorbell again and give her a piece of my mind. Instead I chose to be the better person and simply walk away and cheer up my frightened little girl. Sadly a lesson learned for her that not everyone in life is nice. I know that Halloween is supposed to be scary but surely it should be the kids who do the scaring - not the adults ?!!  

[purplerockie]

I must say it didn't feel like "a bit of harmless fun" and a "Tradition" a few years ago when our house was set on fire by a child putting a lighted firework through our letterbox as a "trick". 

Needless to say this is, as a result, not my favourite time of year.

[bluedolphin]

It was always "help the halloween party" round our place when I was out calling on neighbours.... never had parents accompanying kids though....was always brought in to the houses and asked what my name was and what i was dressed up as and given fruit and stuff ....great memories....now I accompany my kids and only to immediate neighbours.... times change.....sad though .....

[enigma]

I'm sorry to hear that Purplerockie. Sadly , it's that bad element who spoil it for the other kids who just want to have a bit of fun. I haven't personally enountered anything like this but I imagine that it must have been very distressing for you and I am not surprised that you dread this time of year. I firmly believe though that if unscrupulous shopkeepers stopped selling fireworks to underage kids then we wouldn't have this kind of problem to the degree which we do now. In my opinion , the sale of fireworks should be restricted to being purchased on the day itself. I am getting sick to the back teeth of fireworks going day and night from the start of October onwards and continuing for months to come. Sadly , a lot of unscrupulous shopkeepers DO sell to underage kids and there are some parents who do not care what their kids get up to anyway which all adds to the problem. For most kids though - my daughter included - they spend all their time getting psyched up for the big event , thinking about what they want to get dressed up as , planning their well rehearsed jokes/songs in advance and then they head out round the doors , buzzing with excitement. Isn't it a shame then when someone roars at them and gives them dog's abuse for their trouble ? There's good and bad everywhere but we must not let the minority of the badly behaved children rob the innocence and childhood of the kids who are brought up to have respect for others , a sense of decency and manners. Too many children nowadays grow up far too quickly and so much is lost from their childhood. I vow to do everything I can to keep my child an innocent for as long as I can and Halloween is important to me in giving her what I deem a 'normal' childhood. It's such a pity that the parents of the kids in question who subjected you to this kind of an attack do not take such a keen interest in their kids' welfare. Where were they whilst this was happening ?

[georgit79]

Oh come on! The nanny state rears its ugly head yet again!

[georgit79]

...I answered after only reading the question- I am truly sorry for your experiences of Halloween, purplerockie...mouth before head again!

[bernardo]

Yes. 

[NoGood Boyo]

Yes. But more extortionists than terrorists.

[FP]

I would never, ever be horrible to young children who may knock at my door, but I don't agree with the 'tradition' of knocking on people's doors and asking for something.  It wasn't so many years ago that virtually nobody even considered Halloween - it was something the American's did.  I am one of those miserable people who believe it has turned into another  money spinner for retailers.

 

Go ahead, let your children have Halloween Parties, but I don't think it is right to go knocking on peoples doors for handouts.    I don't think I should have had to warn my elderly, frail mother not to get worried over the weekend, to keep her curtains closed and ignore callers to her door.

[Oneeyedvic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/3970711.stm

 

I used to go trick or treating - only about 20 years ago - good fun. I don't have kids - am not really keen on them but bought a box of quality street in case they came round. Thank heavans all those that did were polite & came with parents.

 

That said, we still got an egg in our front garden. Pity those folk who got a lot worse

 

Kids today......(d*mn at 30 years I sound like an old fogey)

[Ray the DJ]

So next year we should expect semtex through our letterboxes and bombs under our cars, if we don't give a treat.

[j2buttonsw]

I don't understand this "tradition". When I was young I, nor anybody I knew, went around peoples' houses begging.

[Hammer]

Load of old American tosh.

[camille79]

In the sense of "trick or treat" I'd agree and say yuck to americanisation.  However, here in Scotland "guising" has been a long-standing tradition and I think it's a shame it's disappearing or being turned into an excuse for pranks.

 

For those not familiar with it, the Scottish version requires the child to do a "turn" before asking for a treat - sing a song, tell a joke, recite a poem etc.  Much more in the spirit and I will never mind doling out fruit and sweeties to the kids who have spent days practising for their big moment!  It's just a shame that this type of tradition was never widespread across the Uk and is now also being forced out by the american style trick or treat.

[smudge]

We have no interest in Halloween whatsoever & don't like the idea of parents condoning their chidren to beg. Having said that we always give to children - just in case. I must tell you that we weren't in on Halloween night & when we got home, our letterbox had all been taped up. So that's what you get for going out. It's madness! 

[enigma]

Part I : I can't believe some of the answers on here. I have  never considered participating in Halloween begging and find it very sad indeed that so many of you have obviously missed out on the real joy of this tradition - the excited look on the kids' faces gearing up to the big event and watching them excitedly prepare their little routine to entertain the adults. Where is the harm in that for goodness sakes ? I guess it very much depends on your outlook. I most certainly do not consider it begging - rather , a community event which the majority of my neighbours participate in. I only take my kids to the doors of my neighbours - not to houses in general where I do not know the occupants and likewise , I prepare little bags of goodies for my neighbours' kids. We always make a big deal out of how wonderful the kids' costumes are and applaud their silly jokes or songs etc. In fact , we have a few elderly neighbours whose kids are long since grown up and who would be most offended if we did NOT take them to their doors. I'm with you on this one Camille. I am from Scotland and I just assumed that the celebration of Halloween was widespread throughout the UK. As I stated before , I refuse to bow down to the American version of 'Trick or Treat' as this is not how I celebrated Halloween as a child and it seems to me that it is this practice of Halloween which is resposible for the attacks on householders (Give me something or I will do something nasty to you) rather than the Scottish practice of 'guising'. I have never been attacked in my house , nor has anyone I know , from a guiser. It saddens me to hear the responses about begging and about the minority of kids who spoil a good time for the kids who are brought up to be respectful to others.

[enigma]

Part 2 : Fakeplastic , you said that it wasn't so long ago that virtually no-one celebrated Halloween and that it was something that the Americans did. I beg to differ with you on this one but I am 29 and regularly went out 'Guising' - as did practically every child I knew , regardless of social status. It was never considered begging and was an acceptable part of our Scottish culture. I just didn't realise that it wasn't considered acceptable in other parts of the UK. I do not bother neighbours whom I know have no interest in Halloween , nor do I send my kids out cap in hand to 'beg' and I am a bit offended by that suggestion to be honest - to say that I am condoning my children to beg. I am not a pauper and have no desire to scrounge from my neighbours. If I am giving something back in return to their kids , then how is that begging ? I guess that I am just lucky that my neighbours are like minded.

[scissorman]

enigma thou dost protest too much...