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Halloween and teens

post #1 of 16
10/15/10 at 12:32am
Thread Starter 
What are your teens doing for Halloween? At what age do you stop trick or treating?

My oldest is 14 but looks older. She has mild sn needs and in some ways is really young for her age, but easily looks 17. She really likes to dress up. She trick or treated last year and enjoyed it, but we moved recently and our neighbors don't really know her, so I don't know how they would respond to her trick or treating.

I haven't figured out a plan yet.
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post #2 of 16
10/15/10 at 1:05am
My daughter is older, and she quit trick or treating at 10, so it's kind of a personal thing. This year she will be playing a show with her band in full costume. She's going to dress up in a way to mock the people that she hates, aka Paris Hilton and her ilk. Pink short halter dress, pink 6 inch platform stiletto shoes, and all the accesories and make up to go with it. Leave it up to her to use halloween to mock people....
My son likes to stay in, he's not too into the whole going out thing. Likes to decorate the house and scare kids when they come to the door. He's kind of anti social
post #3 of 16
10/15/10 at 3:54am
I thought I answered this. We'll see if it ends up double posting later.

My 13-year-old missed trick-or-treating due to illness last year and will miss it this year because we'll be in Disneyland. I think she's pretty done though. Until the Disney idea came up, she was talking having a small party or movie night with friends instead.

In our area, we often see older teens still trick-or-treating. Many are toting younger siblings but even if they aren't the general rule is, you can have candy as long as you are in a real costume lol.
post #4 of 16
10/15/10 at 8:49am
My son and his best friend ToT'd last year (they both graduated HS in June), as did my daughter (15 last year). It's been a tradition that they were loathe to release. All three had costumes (my rule, too).

This year, the boys are off to college, but #2 is having the girls over. They're going to go ToTing, then coming back here for fondue, movies and a sleepover. They'll all take the bus from here on Monday.

I have no issue with older kids coming out - as long as they made some effort at a costume. I DO object to parents assuming they can just take candy 'cause their kid is. When THEY dress up? Fine. But just 'cause they're walking their kid to my door? Please.
post #5 of 16
10/15/10 at 12:08pm
My DH and I have been discussing this. My oldest DS (15) can't do a sleepover that night as it is a school night. He'd like to still ToT but we think it is something that isn't "done" around here once they get to a certain age. We don't feel right just leaving him at home while we go out with our little ones though.
post #6 of 16
10/15/10 at 1:14pm
My 13 yo. is still very excited about putting together a costume and going T or T.
I can't imagine that changing any time soon.
post #7 of 16
10/15/10 at 9:42pm
My 15 year olds are planning to go.
post #8 of 16
10/15/10 at 11:01pm
I think my son's last year was 12 or 13...yeah - 13. He went out with a bunch of friends. When he was 14, one of his friends had a big Halloween party, and he decided to go to that, instead of ToT. He hasn't ToT'd since.

DS1 is hugely into Halloween and costumes. He made his own Eric Draven costume in 9th grade, his own Joker costume (based on Heath Ledger - we bought most of it in thrift stores and did a lot of dying things purple) in 10th grade, and his own Rorschach costume last year. This year is his masterpiece. He's being Captain Jack Sparrow, and has poured a ton of money and online research into components. He's playing with makeup and has to find a hat...and does a pretty good imitation of Capt. Jack, to boot. I think he's going to be awesome...a nice Halloween "grand finale" for high school.

ETA: My last year of ToT was when I was either 15 or 16. I didn't want to give up on it.
post #9 of 16
10/16/10 at 1:35am
My older son decided when he was thirteen that it would be his last year. However, he's part of my younger son's costume this year (Yoda and Luke Skywalker). Where I live, it's not unusual at all for teenagers to take younger kids and dress up themselves. It was pretty thinly veiled when my 16 and 19 year old next door neighbours offered to take my kids.
post #10 of 16
10/18/10 at 12:52am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for everyone's input! It's good to hear the variety. It made it easier for me to talk to her.

I made it her choice. I told her that it was fine for her to TorT, but that she might get a few dirty looks because she looks like a teen and not a little kid, but that might not happen, but I didn't want it to bother her if it did happen.

She said that the costume is HUGELY important to her, but TorTing isn't. She likes walking around, but she is trying to eat healthier and doesn't want a ton of candy. (She's growing up!). She really wants a costume that is sort of medievally/gypyish that she can also wear to ren fest, so we went to the fabric store yesterday and got started. She's looking forward to wearing it while handing out candy. She said that when she was little, she liked it when the people handing out candy were wearing fun costumes.

All is well.
post #11 of 16
10/18/10 at 12:58am
I didn't even talk to her about it because older kids and even adults ToTing is not an issue where we have lived.
post #12 of 16
10/18/10 at 3:51pm
I haven't stopped trick-or-treating. I'm 21. My best friend is 22. Granted, we usually have all the kids with us but we'd do it anyway. (Although, I might hold a party next year instead just for kicks....)
post #13 of 16
10/18/10 at 3:59pm
I'm 29 and I haven't stopped Trick or Treating, yet. One year was the last time I dressed up and went out with my friends, and the next year was the first time I dressed up and went out with my kids.
post #14 of 16
10/19/10 at 5:16pm
My oldest went last year. He is almost 15 and is on the fence whether or not he will go this year. He is 6 foot 3 and weighs about 185 so he definitely looks older. But I told him that I think he should go and have fun.
post #15 of 16
10/23/10 at 11:31pm
My girls in their teens started taking the neighbor little kids trick or treating. Mostly the kids that they babysat. It let the parents stay home and hand out candy, allowed my girls an excuse to dress up for Halloween and the kids had a great time. Now my girls dress up and take their own children trick or treating.

Dylan at 12.5 is dressing up this year. He will go to the houses in our neighborhood but he has been more into handing out the candy than getting candy. And there is a house in our neighborhood that hosts a haunted house every year that is very popular with the teens. He is thinking to trying that solo this year. Past years, I have gone with him but there are bail outs built into the haunted house that we have taken advantage of because it got too intense for him. I anticipate that as he gets older that he will take his nephews and nieces trick or treating to give his sisters a chance to hand out the candy.
post #16 of 16
10/25/10 at 6:56pm
16yo dd will not be going this year, for the first time. She literally spends MONTHS planning and executing her costumes every year. She started one this year but the time got away on her and I don't think she's going to finish it. She wants to stay home and hand stuff out anyway.

The boys were younger when they stopped going out. Probably 14 or so.
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