by Eileen Bailey

Created on: November 01, 2009

I am seventeen, and I trick-or-treated last night. No problems whatsoever arose from my participation in the affair. Until a child actually becomes an adult, there shouldn't be a problem with them trick-or-treating.

Some people say that trick-or-treating shouldn't be allowed for older kids based on unfair prejudices based on one or two experiences. Saying that all high-school age kids are bullies is ridiculous, as is any kind of radical stereotyping. I am a high schooler, and am in no way a bully. Last night, I didn't trick anyone or try to steal candy; instead, I complimented the little children on their costumes, and at one point I even gave some of my candy away to a little girl who dropped some of hers on the wet ground.

Most of the kids I know are the same way; the teens who would choose to act cruelly on Halloween are a very small group, so saying that Halloween should be banned just because of them is acting in a way that is completely ignorant to the majority group consisting of normal, well-behaved teenagers. Not to mention, there are also little children who are bullies to others. Wouldn't it be more effective to try to remove bullies, rather than segmenting a group of people who are rarely bullies? Banning Halloween for older children would do little to reduce any hurtful activities during trick-or-treating, as only a small group of teenagers is actually hurtful, just as a small group of younger children is hurtful.

NOW, on to the main point: trick-or-treating should be about choice. It should be up to the household whether or not to support older trick-or-treaters - it's THEIR candy, after all, not yours. If a household told me they did not wish to give me candy because I was older, I would be okay with it, since that is their choice. But no one had a problem with me, many households even thanked me for coming, as the rain had greatly decreased the amount of trick-or-treaters.

There is no problem with allowing older children to trick-or-treat. If a household wants to give out candy to a teenager, why should you be allowed to stop them? It's their choice to give out the candy that they paid for. Citing bullying as the problem is also ridiculous; bullying happens at any age, and only a small percent of older trick-or-treaters actually bully. The teenagers who are inclined to trick-or-treat are generally those more innocent, those who would like to trick-or-treat rather than act stupidly at parties, and most are supportive of little children.

That's another point I could bring up: trick-or-treating prevents older children from engaging in illicit activities at parties, because it prevents them from going to parties. So not only does it not hurt the younger children, but it also helps the older children.

Overall, older children trick-or-treating does not hurt you. If you do not want to give them candy, don't give it to them. You're not forced to give candy to trick-or-treaters. It does not hurt younger children. As exhibited by my example from last night, it can actually help younger children; many were pleased that I complimented them, and that girl to whom I gave candy was very happy with my gift. Since this activity does not hurt anyone, and is more likely to help people, there's no reason why it should be banned.

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