Should an Older Teen Still Go Trick-or-Treating?

Should an older teen go trick-or-treating? My older teen still goes. When asked why she has not outgrown it or why she is not embarrassed about it, she gives several reasons.

First of all, she says she doesn't care about being embarrassed. To her, it's so much fun that it doesn't matter. She says she could care less what others think, believing as long as she's a kid - and to her that means younger than age 18 - she plans to continue going trick-or-treating. In fact, she says, because she is short she might go for years to come, just covering her face with a costume.

As a parent, I have learned to pick my battles and my embarrassment over having my big kid out there begging for candy, was a battle I guessed I could live without. Kids grow up so fast anyway. So I have allowed her to participate in the tradition well into her teen years. Some may say it's wrong, but I believe, if teens are participating in some clean fun on Halloween night, so much the better.

Another reason she says she still goes trick-or-treating is because she believes it's fun to run from house to house, and more fun to hit the same house with an alternate costume. She believes it's awesome to fill her pillowcase bag with candy, dump it on her bed, and take off running from house to house again.

Watching her, I can see that all the free candy gives her a thrill. She justifies her participation because of the free chocolate bars and wonderful new candies she discovers. But more than the candy, she admits loving the costume. She says it gives her a great excuse to wear a cool costume and act weird, just because it's Halloween.

And finally, she admits one more reason for going trick-or-treating and that involves me. You see, because I and others with a similar point of view believe she is way too old to go trick-or-treating, she looks forward to doing it out of spite.

Now you know some of the reasons that a well-behaved older teen might still go trick-or-treating. It's enjoyable, there's loads of candy, the thrill of the race is exhilarating, the costuming is creative fun, and it seems to annoy adults.