Trick or Treating

[weezypops]

Do you take your kids trick or treating? Felix really wants to go this year so I'm thinking I might take them, just up our street but was wondering about the etiquette of it all. If you go, do you only knock at doors that have decorations or give all of them a go? What sort of reaction have you had?

[Schmushe]

I think kids are told at school nowadays to only go to people's houses they know.

I personally have never done it with my kids. I used to as a child. But nowadays see it as a form of begging. (Bah humbug I know). I think there is a bit of fun in it but kids nowadays take it too far and scare people and act like brats when they don't get anything / what they want. Plus knocking at strangers homes too when we teach kids not to talk to strangers - doesn't set a good example. Don't talk to them but its ok to ask them for sweets.

JUst my opinion btw!!

I don't open the door to trick or treaters. One good thing about living in a flat. They have an extra door to get through lol.

[weezypops]

I think it depends on how you do it. I'll brief the kids that not everyone will give them stuff and to be gracious about it, I don't think mos people see it as begging, just a bit of fun really. I think the little kids coming round in costume are really sweet, and know we always enjoyed it as kids so imagine kids now would too. I've never known any trick or treaters round here to get nasty with tricks, though we have normally given stuff so wouldn't be anyway. Haven't seen or heard any evidence of it and wouldn't do it with the kids anyway. I think older ones have always tended to get a bit nastier, no more so now than 20 years ago - and they shouldn't be doing it anyway!

Also, I don't think it really counts as a total stranger when it's a neighbour and they're with you - would be different if they're on their own I think. But then we would only be going to people on our bit of the street and we know most of them to say hello to, or chat to them if we pass. i do appreciate the opinion though!

[Jenn]

We don't do it and if we did I would pre-arrange with the people we were going to go to.

However - all the houses opposite us decorate their houses up and are busy ALL night and we have no lights on and no decs up and don't get a single call! So yeah - only go to decorated houses.

However - it was on a Saturday once and people who knocked between 3-6pm - I was very nice to and gave lots of chocs away.

[Gina73]

I dont take Mia but that is because we only know a couple of people in our street. I let Mia dress up and we get some sweets in for if anyone knocks at ours although last year we only had 1 knock. We are going to a friends on Halloween for a party so that will keep Mia happy.

[rachel jane]

I never used to go when i was younger but now every year we go to my friends for a halloween party and then go to all the houses round hers. We only knock on the door with the decorations up and lots of the adults are dressed up aswell. The kids love it. I think it depends where you live but i don't class it as begging. We get a lot between 4-5 before we go out and they are always nice and polite.