Oldest age to trick-or-treat?

[PeacefulChaos]

First off, yes, I know this is not even the season for ToT-ing.   :p   :D

 

Second, I know that there have been *discussions* about this before; I know that everyone is different.  I know that there is no one *right* answer, and that everyone handles this a different way.  I also know that some people don't ToT at all.  

 

So, base your answer on the following:

 

At what age would you say it's the last year to trick-or-treat?  (Note: Not that you would be rude to another kid who you think may be older or refuse them anything - I'm asking about what your family would personally choose, with no expectations of anyone else)

 

And this is important - dressing up for a party (or any other reason) or to take the younger siblings ToT-ing does not count for the purposes of this survey.  This is only referring to purposely dressing up as a trick or treater - assume that there are no younger siblings, nothing else going on, etc.  

 

 

I really don't want a lot of back and forth on it... if you don't trick or treat at all, you can give your best guess, but I don't want anyone arguing against ToT-ing, or any real heavy responses (going into whys or judging the opinions of others, etc).  This is just totally, 100%, straight up ask and 'respond to the poll as succinctly as possible'.   :D

(I hope that doesn't sound mean - I just don't really want a debate about it.  More than anything I'm just really curious as to what people do.)

 

 

 

ETA: I think this was made clear, but please, no debate.  No judgment toward people (IRL or otherwise) who do differently.  I'm not concerned about what people think of other people - I'm curious what people choose for themselves.  I'm also not looking for advice, as I never said anything about it being something I was considering.

I am seriously just curious what people do.  That's all.   :)

 

 

ETAagain: I did not realize that not all towns have laws about this.  We do, and it shows in my poll.  Wasn't trying to skew it in any strange way - I just honestly assumed that all towns would cap ToT-ing by 16, as all of the towns I know of don't go any older than that.  At this point, it's much too late for me to change to poll choices, so I'll leave them... just assume 15+ for anything older.

[Ali in OR]

I could easily see 12 as being the last year--stop when you're a teenager. But the more natural break here actually is the next year. Trick-or-treat through middle school (almost all 8th graders are 13 here except the few who turn 14 between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31--I would let them trick-or-treat). When you're in high school, you're too old, and your presence changes the feel of the evening. So I voted 13.

[Arcadia]

DS10 was bored with ToT when he was 8. He did went along because DS9 wanted to go and is scared to go alone.

DS9 wasn't interested anymore last year so we stopped. They do enjoy going to a free Halloween party hosted by a nearby city every year which requires kids of any age to be in costumes. So the hunt for Halloween costumes begin.

[shawthorne44]

My Other was that DD is still below the cut-off.  

 

I was really happy this last Thanksgiving Halloween fell on a day high schools were playing football.  It was only the little kids.  As it should be.  

 

edited to fix my weird error

[MEmama]

We get a number of middle school aged kids and a few high school aged, but I think that's a bit weird. Maybe a party at that point might be better. Personal preference is probably through middle school, but not beyond. I don't base that on anything specific.

[Wildcat]

I voted "other" in both categories.

 

I don't have an age where I think someone is too old to ToT. If they are dressed up and polite, I'm happy to hand out a piece of candy. I do so with a smile. It's a night of fun for them and me. I often have ToTers in their late teens. I think it's good, harmless fun, so it doesn't bother me.

 

My 'baby' just graduated high school and she went ToTing in Oct. Granted, the group was collecting donations for UNICEF, but they did accept the occasional piece of candy. I noticed my kids started feeling strange about ToTing around the age of 12/13, so collecting for UNICEF was a great way to let them dress up and give back at the same time.

 

OP, if you think it's time for your kids to stop (not that your post indicated such) but your kids still want to have fun dressing up and going out on the streets with all the other excited, dressed up kiddos, would ToTing for UNICEF be something you could get behind?

[Tap]

Ds20 stopped around age 12 on his own.

 

DD16 still Trick or Treated this past year.  She loves it and will fully dress up for it.  She is bouncy and happy when she goes, it isn't just a candy grab for her.  She just loves the whole night and the candy is just a happy little bonus.  

 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

12 is the end of little-kid Halloween here -- from that age onward, our boys are in Civil Air Patrol, and our local squadron helps with our township's Safe Halloween festivities. So that year, they stop wearing Halloween costumes to start wearing BDUs, and they are working and keeping children safe.

 

(Then it's games, treats, and movies at home, or going out with friends, after the Safe Halloween.)

 

Because of this tradition we never had to tell any of our kids that they're too old for trick or treat. As far as other people who come to our door -- usually they don't, b/c we live on a dark, out of the way road, but if they'll haul themselves on out here I don't care who comes. Friendly and polite teens are welcome, as well as toddlers.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

It's cool and damp here today. Feels much more like October than early July. Also, I'm planning my 2015-2016 school year right now.

 

All of this, plus this thread, is starting to make me wonder if I missed summer!

[EKS]

I had to vote other on the stop on their own question, as my younger son stopped before age 10 (I think it was age 6-7).

[Tanaqui]

Around here, kids go out through high school. I figure that if peer pressure isn't enough to make my kids stop, I'm not going to be the buzzkill (provided they wear a costume, which is the same rule I impose on kids coming to my house. No costume, no candy.)

[The Girls' Mom]

Until they want to stop.  My Other was that they stopped when I got tired of taking them.  Now that they are driving, if they want to TorT they are welcome to go themselves.  I'm just over the driving..lol.

 

 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Until they want to stop.  My Other was that they stopped when I got tired of taking them.  Now that they are driving, if they want to TorT they are welcome to go themselves.  I'm just over the driving..lol.

 

That's what they're going to put on my tombstone.

 

"I'm just over the driving."

[Amira]

I'm happy to let them keep going as long as they make their own costume- and it has to be a good one.  It does make a difference that we still have a kid who's obviously young enough to keep going, but we went as a family last year with a 15yo, 13yo, and a 6yo and every year before that, as long as there was a place to go.  Halloween and trick-or-treating is about a lot more than the candy for us.  I'm already looking forward to it this year. :)

[magic]

I voted other.  I think trick or treating should be based on wearing a costume or dressing up.  We have seen little kids trick or treating with their parents and no one was in costume or even making an effort to look anything other than how they look everyday.  On the other hand, there are adults who put lots of effort into costumes and I enjoy seeing them out trick or treating.  It really does depend on where you live.  I live in a farming town on the plains of Colorado.  Everyone seems to really enjoy seeing people of all ages dressed up and they are encouraged to visit businesses to show costumes as well as to trick or treat.  My son turned 18 last year and dressed up as a female fox.  He went to the country club area and received hoots of laughter, lots of candy, he posed for pictures, and they requested that he come back this year to show them his costume.  The year before he dressed as Buddy the Elf and had the same reception.  Many people ask him to make sure and stop at their house every year so they can get pictures.  He does not know these people other than from trick or treating but they sure seem to enjoy him.  He also visited several community events (as he does every year) and received lots of laughter and pleas to continue to dress up.  As long as he puts forth effort and brings joy to others, I think he should continue to trick or treat.  Here he is in his costume and there is also a picture from the year before when he dressed up as Buddy the Elf and my then 15 year old son dressed as Ralphie from A Christmas Story.

[Joker]

Never. My teens, and their friends, still go out and dress up every year.

[Mimm]

Awfully early in the year for this argument. ;) My 14 year old already knows how she's dressing up this Halloween. We think the holiday is just fun. Every year I'm amazed at people getting grouchy about older kids trick or treating.

[SKL]

I would go by community standards.  In my neighborhood, we get trick-or-treaters up to probably around 15.

 

As a kid, we went until we didn't feel comfortable going any more.  In our community that was between 10 and 13 depending on how the kid looked and felt.  I had a friend, not quite 11, who got chastised because she looked "too old" due to being tall for her age.  She was devastated and refused to ever go again.  Other kids her age and older still went.  Unfair, but what can ya do?

 

My kids are 8 so they still T&T.

[Princess Ariel]

I answered other-never really did much trick or treating as we didn't live in a typical neighborhood (nobody ever came to the houses on our street).  Usually attended a church sponsored event on that day.  They dressed up for that until about 7th grade.

[NoseInABook]

Until they want to stop. If they're willing to dress up, they an ToT until they're an adult for all I care. I loved going ToTing with friends in high school.

[Ripley]

I selected "other" for both.

 

The oldest age acceptable to me is based more on attitude than chronological age. If you get into the spirit of the holiday, dress up and go for it at any age.  If you're just going through the motions, you've outgrown the trick-or-treating experience.

 

My teens still trick-or-treat, but that's because I think it's a stupid holiday and they don't want to deprive the younger kids. So the teens take the kids for me, but there was no "n/a" option and our situation doesn't fall within the parameters stated in the OP.

[Renthead Mommy]

I answered other.  We TTed all through high school as long as you were willing to dress up.

 

Halloween was a big deal in our High School.  The seniors all get to dress up and then they do a parade through the school and then through the middle school down the street. It is still done today.

 

However our school was small, usually only has about 500 kids at most.  (only 400 hundred the year I graduated) for all of 9-12 grade.  So I can see that being easier to manage than a 2000 kid school where one grade is the size of my school. 

 

ETA: I have learned being the the AF that saying I went to a small school of only 400 is misleading.  People assume you live in the middle of nowhere, an hour from a Walmart type of place.  In reality I lived 25 minutes from NYC and it is just broken up into small towns, hamlets and townships, each with their own school.  So it is a heavily populated area where there is door to door trick or treating is only 50 feetish from front door to the next front door. 

[Renthead Mommy]

double post.

[catz]

I don't care if adults come up to my door dressed up in good spirits.  I'd almost rather give candy to teens than kids under 3.  I happily give candy to both though!  ;)  My son quit last year TOT, but he's never been huge on it and had a party with a bunch of boys his age instead.  But Halloween was on a weekend last year, so that was easier to do. 

 

Halloween can be a fun holiday for any age IMO.  I've seen groups of teens going around here and I don't mind at all.  If there aren't other events or parties going on for teen kids, I can see why they would want to.  My son also has several friends that are HUGE kids.  And they started getting the evil eye at like 9/10.  Why the judgment?!  You just can't peg a kid's age or maturity by size anyway.

[lllll]

nm

[LucyStoner]

I don't care how old ToT are. If grown up men and women want to come to my door in costume on 10/31, I will give them candy. If 30 year old women can collect free candy while pushing their infant (dressed as a pumpkin or baby yoda) around in a stroller, then certainly 11, 12, 15 year olds can IMO.

[mamakelly]

High schoolers still tot in our neighborhood. I think it's great, with all the pressure for kids to grow up fast, I figure why not encourage them to be kids a little while longer.

 

My oldest stopped when he was a jr in high school. My middle boy went tot last year and he was a sophomore, lol.

[Julie Smith]

If you are in costume, and polite then it's okay with me.

[amiesmom]

We had a girl come trick or treat once, I thought she looked maybe 15-16 years old.  My 2 year old was helping hand out candy. She asked me if my 2-year old was going out to ToT, I said she had already gone and now it was almost her bedtime. She then told me that HER daughter was out ToTing with her (the daughter's) dad.

 

I shut off our light after that.

 

 

[The Girls' Mom]

That's what they're going to put on my tombstone.

 

"I'm just over the driving."

You and me both.  

[Lara in Colo]

with us, like most childhood things (Easter egg hunts and believing in Santa) we will force the oldest to stop when the youngest is ready.  I have 4 and the oldest is only 4 years from the youngest-- so they do everything together.  For us the T/T thing is about the costume, the trip though the neighborhood etc... so I suppose when the youngest is about 12-13 I will make everyone stop, and the oldest will stop soon on her own (she is less and less interested in the candy, but she likes the dressing up and the activity)

[VeteranMom]

High schoolers still tot in our neighborhood. I think it's great, with all the pressure for kids to grow up fast, I figure why not encourage them to be kids a little while longer.

 

My oldest stopped when he was a jr in high school. My middle boy went tot last year and he was a sophomore, lol.

I would've like this post twice, if possible.  

As long as the teens aren't vandalizing and getting into trouble, what's the harm?  I read some article last Halloween.  Here it is:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marion-franck/what-you-need-to-know-about-6-foot-trick-or-treaters_b_6030982.html

[Dmmetler]

Around here, you don't see many kids past 12-13 or so. I think that's because most of the church and community fall festivals/trunk or treats stop at 5th grade (middle school starts at 6th). I like seeing the teens, though, whether they're in a group of friends or with younger kids, and I don't plan to make DD stop until she's ready. 6th grade seems way too young to give up on being a kid-especially since my DD will still be 10 at the start of 6th grade!!

 

 

 

 

[MysteryJen]

We decided arbitrarily that the kids should stop at 12. They are certainly welcome to make their own costumes and go out with friends.

 

Since no one really likes dressing up, they stay home and eat candy from the bowl.

[Library Momma]

I would say around 11 or 12 they are moving away from TOTing to get candy towards TOTing as a group activity to hang out with their friends.  I still see some kids through high school TOTing but more that age are interested in Halloween parties.  I think a lone 15 or 16 yo out TOTing alone would be a bit strange.

[MomtoCandJ]

i voted other for both since dh and I have dressed up to take kids TorT (parents wanted to go the adult party at the bar and wasn't going to take the kids at all) and received candy ourselves (we both look younger than what we really are). We were holding back up bags and those were filled as well.

[Guest]

Without reading replies: I said 13. I made my kids stop at this age. Some people thought I was Draconian. I almost waivered the second time I put this in place, but I carried it out anyway. I have invited my teens to have a party but they have not taken up this offer so far.

[Mommy22alyns]

As long as the girls dress up and are well-mannered and mindful of littler kids, I don't have a problem with it.  They turned 10 and 12 in March.  ODD missed TOTing the year before last because of gymnastics practice, but I decided for her that she would TOT last year.  (She often can't make choices herself, as weird as that sounds.)

[kentuckymom]

I said "when they want to stop." I trick or treated for the last time when I was a junior in high school. I only didn't go as a senior because I was in Sweden, where trick or treating was unheard of (21 years later, it is apparently a growing trend there). My brothers both stopped by the end of middle school. The last year my younger brother went he was in 8th grade and I was in 11th. He might have gone in 9th if I'd been there to go with him, but I wasn't. My older brother stopped sometime before that, I forget exactly when. 

 

My oldest is 10 and has no desire to stop trick or treating anytime soon. I'll support the idea all the way through high school if he wants to do it. If he still wants to dress up but feels kind of embarrassed about it, he could always just pretend he was mainly escorting his 6 years younger sister. I don't bring a bag for candy, but I still love to dress up and either walk around with the kids or hand out candy. Halloween is a lot of fun. I'm super excited that we'll be in Disney World a the end of September for the Halloween party.

[Luanne]

My Other was that DD is still below the cut-off.  

 

I was really happy this last Thanksgiving Halloween fell on a day high schools were playing football.  It was only the little kids.  As it should be.  

 

edited to fix my weird error

 

I disagree.  There is nothing wrong with a 10 or 11 year old trick or treating.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I disagree.  There is nothing wrong with a 10 or 11 year old trick or treating.

 

Perhaps you don't know this, but 10 and 11 year olds are not in high school. So when she says she's glad the high schoolers were at the game so only little kids could be out for ToT, she was including anyone younger than high school age.

[Luanne]

She said she thinks ONLY little children should trick or treat.  I would not consider a 10 or 11 year old a little child.

[Reefgazer]

DD went trick or treating last year at 12, at 13 this year, I am letting her decide what she wants to do.  I think the law in our city says 12 though.  DS is 10 and probably will trick or treat; he's a candy hound.

[idnib]

DD went trick or treating last year at 12, at 13 this year, I am letting her decide what she wants to do.  I think the law in our city says 12 though.  DS is 10 and probably will trick or treat; he's a candy hound.

 

There's a law?  :confused1:

[Tsuga]

You're never too old to get free candy. DD14 stopped at around 11 because she didn't have friends to go with. DS11 went last year with friends.

 

We give candy to anyone who comes to the door on that night. Wooooooo free stuff.

 

You are also welcome to swing on the swings, jump in the sprinkler, play foosball, play air hockey, use the karaoke machine to sing Taylor Swift songs, sound out "It's a Small World" on the piano, climb a tree, do a cartwheel, find four leaf clovers, AT ANY AGE. The older the better. There are furthermore no limits on age for buying treats from the ice cream lady, wearing silly hats, putting on temporary tattoos, having standing-on-one-leg contests, going bra-free, wearing pyjamas all day, playing board games, riding your bike to 7-11 for a Slurpee, eating Lucky Charms for breakfast, or anything else*.

 

 

 

*Excluding toilet training. Barring illness, once you have toilet trained, you are not allowed to go back.

[Farrar]

I know you're not looking for debate, but the poll itself shows a bias. Around here, it's common for teens to ToT so I think that's fine. If we lived somewhere where only little kids did it, I might lean against it, though really I think it's fine.

[Rebel Yell]

Given the parameters in the OP, what do you consider the oldest age acceptable for your children to trick or treat?

 

1.  
2. Obligatory Other We are OK with dressing up and trick-or-treating through high school.  I have two still in high school, and they plan to trick-or-treat again this year.

 

1. IF your child(ren) have decided on their own to stop trick or treating, how old were they?

 

1. Other (explain, please) Only the college girl decided not to go trick-or-treating this year, but it was raining. She would have gone along with sisters & their friends if it as nicer weather.

[Momling]

We are in a college town and adults here get pretty into halloween with a parade and everything.  It's not unusual for teens to trick or treat at all. My kids show no signs of slowing down.  I'll let them out alone (with each other or friends) this next year... last year I followed them around.

[PeacefulChaos]

I know you're not looking for debate, but the poll itself shows a bias. Around here, it's common for teens to ToT so I think that's fine. If we lived somewhere where only little kids did it, I might lean against it, though really I think it's fine.

 

My town is one with a law.  I didn't realize that not all towns had one.  I assumed 15-16 would be the oldest by law, though not necessarily that they wouldn't still go around with younger siblings or go to parties or do other things.  

 

Just assume the oldest age (16 I believe) to be that and older.  :)

[mommymilkies]

Cut off age?  Whatever, adults should go, too!  It makes me sad to have people delegate Trick or Treating or Halloween as a kids holiday.  Let everyone have fun!