halloween, once again, stained by some little hoodlums

every year, Halloween is a pretty big event near me. A lot of kids do the trick/treating thing.
We only saw maybe 400 kids this year, very suprising, but it was a cold damp day here, so maybe a lot of them and the parents didn't go out.

its not like I wasn't prepared................................

toys, costume jewelry, light up yoyos, the works.

anyway, we get a kick out of all the cutie pie kiddies and their costumes, we get to meet and talk with all our neighborhood kids and parents, its nice.I like when the kids say, hey, my dad used to play tennis in the park when you did, or my older sister knows your son from high school........and a lot of the parents say hello also.

My new neighbors, the 30ish year old couple who purchased the house next to mine, has 2 small children.
They decided to go out with their kids dressed up, everyone goes, the uncles, the aunts, the grandparents, like I said, everyone has fun for a few hours.

they didn't want to disappoint the other kids, so they put a small tray table outside their front door and put a huge bowl with bags of candies and sign that said please take one, happy Halloween. something like that.

ofcourse, not 5 minutes after they left, some bigger kids, maybe 14 y/os, not only took every bag, they even took the bowl.

another neighbor saw them walking down the street with the bowl.

I don't understand why just for some candy, which they could have gotten all they wanted from anyone, since I let them take as much as they want, especially the ones who don't want anything else. We all get stuck with pounds of candy every year, and none of us care how much the kids take, it makes them happy, why not.

The wife came in to me, asked me if I saw them, the husband was furious and out driving around looking for them.
I told her to call him and tell him forget it. its not worth it.
what will he do? smash their heads for them? Yes, most of us would like to give them a whack since its obvious their parents never taught them anything, but really, its only candy and a bowl, but every year we hear of another snot nose 13 or 14 y/0 that does something stupid on this day and ruins it for so many other kids, discouraging other parents from partaking with their children.

when I was a child and went out, I used to get fresh baked cookies, cupcakes, home made candies, Id walk into peoples homes, and admire the decorations, theyd give us milk, wed have Halloween cakes they made, me, my brother, my 3 sisters, we never ever heard of problems when we were growing up, what has happened to kids today?
my kids would never ever do anything like that when they were young, not out of fear of the person they were robbing, out of fear of me finding out.
what is wrong with todays parents?
its sad.
These aren't 28 y/o criminals, but 14 y/o snot noses who need to be taught some kind of lesson. I don't have a clue as to what needs to be done.

Im going off and making too much of stink about this, its onlyl a bowl of candy, but the point is discipline is not a part of so many kids upbringing today and it has nothing to do with child abuse issues or tighter laws, it all falls on the parents, and the parents are failing in my book.
Im sorry if this has nothing at all related to woodworking, its just something that bothers me constantly.

Allen - I understand your sentiment.

When I was young like was like you described - a bit more honest and ?pure?.

We had our days also - but maybe not like this.

Why are you surprised? Hoodlumism was rampant 50 years ago when I was trick or treating (something entirely new to me, as we didn't do it in England in those days.) If it is going to change, Hallowe'en will ahve to change, as people won't. I have often wondered why more places don't arrange neighbourhood parties for small kids, with a big bag of treats as they leave, and have no door to door trick or treat. Safer and more civilized.

Our county trick or treat hours and ages are limited: Dusk to 8pm and ages 12 and under. The last year we turned our light on we had four visitors from nearby, all in cute costumes with parents close by. When I see a convoy of vans pull up and gangs of kids start working the street, the light goes off. Most of the kids go to school or church functions where it's safer. We went shopping at the big outlet mall in Williamsburg where each store had a costumed person at the door to hand out candy and there were lots and lots of small kids in costume there. It was very cool.

Growing up in a rural area, we had a long ways between houses, so didn't do much trick or treating. I had a couple of years where a friend's mom would take my friend and I to town and we'd come home with an entire grocery bag (each) of candy. In later years our 4H sponsors would offer their farm to the 4H club for a haunted trail/fund raiser. The 4H members would decorate the barns and dress up to spook patrons. It was a tour type of event, so every 15 minutes a new group would come through and at the end there were refreshments/snacks by the bonfire at the pond. Looking back it was some of the best Halloweens ever. Unknowingly it keep me from doing stupid stuff, the sponsors got their barns cleaned out every fall for free, and the 4H club made money for events throughout the year...win/win!

Only 400 kids this year?? 400?? Wow, we had our usual , 0, but thats what we get for living in farm country. My granddaughter loved the treats you sent for her. Thanks again.

Halloween started changing when I was a kid... sicko's putting stuff in the candies and stuff.... I only got to go a couple of times because we also lived in the country and it was often miles between houses... I'm not a fan of Halloween anyway.... agree that if we are going to celebrate the day, then we need controlled parties for the little kids... we live out in the country again and had zero kids... now I have to eat all that candy as my wife's diabetic and isn't supposed to... darn.

400 kids, wow, but such a small amount of troublemakers comparitivly.

400 kids, just wow.

When I grew up, our town did trick or treating on the Thursday before Halloween so it wouldn't interfere with the annual Halloween parade, which a lot of us kids participated in (either in the school band or on one float or another). It was a big deal for our town. I doubt they do it anymore.

No parent gave a second thought of letting their kids head out on their own with a pillow case to bring home candy and other treats. We didn't dress up as sexy nurses or other elaborate costumes you can buy now days. Usually we put charcoal on our faces and went has hobos (is that politically incorrect anymore?) The older kids looked out for the younger ones...one rarely saw a parent out...they were home giving out candy.

When I bought my first house, the standard suburban neighborhood was young and I finally got to be the one dressed up as a ghost, giving out treats to the kids. As they grew older and the world grew scarier, we got to where no one would knock on the door. Now, out in the country, we obviously don't get any. Occasionally someone will host a hay ride for the area, but that hasn't happened for a while.

Guess I'm being nostalgic, but makes me sad for this new world of ours...what will be the new traditions?

400 kids...you must be an awesome neighbor

We get zero kids every year - just not enough houses where I live to warrant any of that activity.

When I was a kid I lived in the city and the houses were close together and most houses had 2 or 3 families.

We filled shopping bags full of candy, cookies, apples.

My daughter now lives in a neighborhood with houses a bit close together and all single family. She takes the grand kiddies out for trick or treat. The grand kids get too much candy - but no where near what I got when I was a kid in the early 60's

it was hard to estimate this year the kids. Maybe it was 320, I don't really know. sometimes we go 30 minutes no one, then groups of 8,10,12 all come together one after another.
Sharon-most of kids these days, its amazing the work that the parents or whomever put into their home made costumes. A lot of zombies, but that's easy stuff.
Mostly, princesses, super heros, or zombies.(a few ninja turtles and witches)

the kids still do the Halloween parade at 2 pm at the local elementary school. I believe its grades k-3 that participate.
I had a tough morning so I didn't go over to see them this year.

Its probably dying off, the trick or treating around the neighborhood, but some kids still love it and parents enjoy taking them out, and Ill still be here.

as a side note.-I mentioned I grew up in Farmingdale, out here on Long Island, when I was about 7-13.
We considered it the safest place on earth back then in the 60s.
Todays paper, had an article about a bunch of (no ages were mentioned, criminals) wearing masked, pushed into a home in farmingdale Halloween, pistol whipped the husband, and robbed the home.

As a retired small business owner, I never ever let any kid in my store that was bigger than a 3rd grader enter my store with a mask on.
No adults, even if we thought we might know them, must remove mask before entering store Halloween.
I was in a high crime area, so usually, Id close my store around 3-4 pm on Halloween.
Animals were in the street, I wanted my girls to get home safely.

Sharon Korn said:

400 kids...you must be an awesome neighbor

Click to expand...

no, Im just normal.

Ive been on vacation with 3 of my neighbors, ones our kids grew up with and we are still close today.
besides the idiot living next to me, the one next to him and the one on the other side of me has my cell and I have theirs in case of emergency when one of us are away from home.(My sil lives 1/4 mile from us she has our keys and alarm codes if we need someone to enter home)
I get along with everyone on this street, except the moron troll living next door to me, but there isn't one person on the block that talks to him.

Sayer Fancher said:

Only 400 kids this year?? 400?? Wow, we had our usual , 0, but thats what we get for living in farm country. My granddaughter loved the treats you sent for her. Thanks again.

Click to expand...

I had a white kitchen garbage bag filled with all the costume jewelry and toys stuffed under the fold down seat in elens car when we went out west to visit jim, larry, and jon.
We both forgot about it and I remembered when I left jons, but it was too late by then.
Im prepared when I meet any kids, but my memory isn't working as well as it used too.

You're a good man Allen! I wish it was more like the old days too. We went out on our own in our small neighborhood, maybe with a few other local kids. The bigger kids were the trouble makers. We live on a dead end road out of town so we did not get any kids either-even though there are a few young ones on our road.

well, living in the wilderness, I don't think even if my kids were familiar with an area, Id let them walk to the house at the end of the dead end.