Recently in the news, there has been a discussion about an age restriction with trick-or-treating, and in some towns across the United States, there are already laws in place that say those who trick-or-treat above the said age restriction will be fined and/or face jail time.
Once you dig a little deeper and actually read up on this outrageous law, you will learn that this law is rarely ever enforced, and it is mainly in place for the ghouls and goblins that use Halloween as a free-for-all to destroy pumpkins and cause mischief. However, this does bring up a good question: should there be an age limit to trick-or-treating?
Many articles use 12 years old as being the age where trick-or-treating stops. Others say once the child is in high school, it should stop, and a few said that nine or ten is the cut-off age.
What? Crazy!
Personally, I do not think there should be an age limit. Anyone should be able to trick-or-treat. However, I think people should use common sense if they are an adult and choose to take part in trick-or-treating. Stay in your neighborhood or offer to take a child you know out to trick-or-treat. If you are questioning whether or not it's time to stop trick-or-treating, then maybe it is.
But for those who say 12 years old is too old to be out trick-or-treating, I think you're missing the point of Halloween. Halloween is a childhood tradition, and taking it away from someone who isn't even becoming a teenager yet is like taking a part of their childhood away.
My little cousin was placed in a program that gave her an extra year in elementary school due to her learning disability, so technically, this year she should have been in 6th grade. But instead, she is 11 years old, soon to be 12, and is in 5th grade. She'll be 12 in November; therefore, if the trick-or-treating age limit was a law that was enforced here in New Jersey, this would be her last Halloween trick-or-treating.
So could you imagine not allowing a 6th grader to go out trick-or-treating with her other 6th-grade friends over something she can't control? I think if you place an age limit on trick-or-treating, you're asking a child to grow up too quickly. Kids already grow up fast, so we should let them enjoy this fun tradition for as long as they possibly can.
But that is just how I feel, and I'd love to know your thoughts! Do you think there should be an age limit with trick-or-treating?
