How old should a kid trick or treat? The debate about sugar, guns and toy costumes in the era of trickor-tanning
Every parent is trying to raise a bad child at the end of the day. They are attempting to raise a good adult. So if you can help them understand the freedom in recognizing different versions of good, then we will have a better future community.”
Halloween is a role playing game that has been thrust into the real world. For millions of kids, it’s one of the most basic functions of play, and it can ease the pressure and stress they’re under.
One huge debate, of course, is whether sugar is acceptable for children, and how much. Some kids cannot eat candy due to their allergies. Parents might also have different ideas about whether toy swords or guns should be part of costumes. There’s a lot of potential internal debates.
“Does my neighbor think what I’m doing with my kid is appropriate or inappropriate?” Harmeling said something similar. “Are they going to approve of these types of candies? Is that a moral failing, or is it just when we don’t participate that we’re going to run out of candy?
If you’ve ever done a double-take at seemingly adult-sized trick-or-treaters, you’re not alone. There is no rule as to how old a kid should be to trick or treat in Halloween. Even towns that ban older kids from trick or treat don’t agree.
Trick or Treat: How a Child Feels, or What Happens When They’re Gone: From a Growing Up to the End of the Moral Continuum
It’s a fascinating instance, Harmeling said, where “the same action can be interpreted on both ends of the moral continuum — as a good behavior or bad behavior.”
There are often deep reasons behind those interpretations. For example, adults who have strong feelings about it might have been raised in a home with a strict line between childhood and adult experiences.
Harmeling pointed out that if you begrudge a teenager some candy, it’s because of an evolutionary drive to provide for the most vulnerable.
“I think it is so much more than a sack of candy,” Harmeling said. I think it’s the visibility to the community that they’re embedded in. It’s a night of fantasy for them when they see that other kids are playing with them.
They can dive into their own sense of altruism and feel the warm glow that comes from contributing to their community when they’re part of a massive candy redistribution scheme.
Source: Halloween performs a neat trick, and it’s not just about the treats
“It’s a good thing to go out and see what happens”: A Connecticut Halloween Night Student Report on the Case of the McIntosh Trail
“And this is something that I think parents also struggle with,” Harmeling said. The parents of young children might enjoy Halloween, but they may also be concerned that doorbells and knocking will wake their sleeping toddler. Harmeling said that until recently she was in that group attempting to balance being a good citizen with being a good parent.
She said that they’re signaling their membership in the community. “If you are in a trick- or-treating zone, it’s kind of your moral duty to participate, you know, to keep your light on.”
It’s a time where they can break the rules, which is a good thing. They are wandering in the street. They’re among all of these strangers and they aren’t wearing proper clothes. So it gives them this freedom to be wild, in a sense.
Colleen Harmeling is an associate professor in the school of business at Florida State University. “But then you’re balancing it with these other demands — and those other demands are where morality kind of comes into play.”
There is nothing wrong with clinging to childhood, especially if teens are willing to wear costumes and stay out of trouble.
In Peachtree City, Ga., The McIntosh Trail — the student news site of McIntosh High School — found that some teenagers planned to spend Halloween going to parties, and watching scary movies. Some people said it was okay for teenagers to trick-or-treat if they have younger brothers or sisters.
“It’s difficult because if you’re wearing a costume then you can go out, however if you’re not, then there is no point,” Bolger was quoted as saying. otherwise, maybe 15.”
In New Jersey most teachers and school staff don’t want kids to ask for candy or dress up because of how old they are.
“The practice of persons in previous years on Halloween night in roving all over the city late at night has become … undesirable,” places a burden on the police department and creates “an intolerable situation,” the city said in its law.
Kids can only ask for treats at 7:30, 8 or 9 pm in the city where they are located.
In one famous example, Chesapeake, Va., used to have a 1970s law on the books that made it a crime for a teen to trick-or-treating.