Trick-or-Treating: How old is too old?
When doorbells ring on the evening of Beggar’s Night, most people expect to open their doors to a handful of dressed-up children accompanied by a watchful parent or two. However, when is it time for kids to pack away their Superman capes and Cinderella gowns and take their place on the opposite side of the threshold, handing out candy to sugar-craving children?
“You stop trick-or-treating when you’re 40,” junior Bridget McFarland said. “Then you need to get your act together and stop eating candy, or else you’ll become obese and die.”
Other students, such as senior Calvin Song, believe in cutting off the festivities much earlier.
“Stop trick-or-treating when you can’t fit into the kid costumes anymore,” Song said.
However, in some areas of the country, teenagers don’t get to choose whether they are going to be sporting their spray-tanned, extra-teased Snooki costumes or their everyday clothes. Various cities have been cracking down on kids above the age of twelve who are out trick-or-treating, threatening them with $100 fines and jail time. While it has been reported that these new laws have rarely been enforced, the message from law enforcement remains loud and clear: Once you hit middle school, find something else to do on Halloween.
The interference of authority is mostly a safety precaution, for many city residents across the country have complained about being frightened from opening the door to a six-foot-tall person, only to realize that it is a teenager there for candy.
AP Biology teacher Craig Walter has his own safety message to share with kids.
“Young kids go trick-or-treating, but sometimes teenagers and adults go for the occasional ‘trick-or-beer’,” said Walter. “Make sure your children are being smart, and are avoiding shady situations over the holiday.”
While most students reported that they no longer go trick-or-treating, their age does not stop them from celebrating the holiday by any means. Whether they are dressing up as a characters from Harry Potter to fly around town or simply to charm the children ringing their doorbells, students know how to party in style.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Ames High School, and Iowa needs student journalists. Your contribution will allow us to cover our annual website hosting costs.
