Can't Believe It's That Time of Year Again ::: Halloween

I say 12 is perfectly acceptable.

I wouldn't blink an eye if a 12 year old POLITE dressed up boy showed up on my doorstep. I prefer him over a 6 year old rude child!

I would still go at 34 - is that wrong?

;)

I don't think high schoolers are even to old to trick or treat as long as they are wearing a costume and are not out making trouble. I love Halloween!

Around here, kids still trick or treat into high school. As long as they have a costume, they get a treat from me :)

Girl, I'm so glad I have a child so I can enjoy halloween without looking weird! I'm 45 and I LoveLoveLove halloween. Dressing up is a blast!

My favorite time was when I was about 17 and went with a bunch of 15-17 year olds. We all had REAL costumes on, and we got back, dumped out our loot, separated want & don't want-which we traded with each other till all we had was stuff we liked.

I don't care how old the kids are, as long as they are respectful. I prefer if the older ones TRIED to dress up and weren't just in it for the candy, but as long as they're respectful, I'll give them candy :)

If he and his social group want to go, and if they are respectful of people's property and kind to smaller children, then I think it's fine. They'll stop doing it when their social group thinks it's childish, but for the time being, what's the harm?

I'd remind him that he's old enough to know the rules, watch for cars, wear something reflective, and understand that little kids are often overwhelmed by the whole shebang. So no cutting in front of or scaring little ones, be kind and tell them their costumes are cute, no grabbing excessive amounts of candy, etc. I think letting our kids do a certain amount of things unsupervised is really important for their growth and maturation, and it's just so much fun for them to do that. Enjoy and let it happen.

There are a boatload of middle schoolers and higher up that hit our house yearly. They are just getting to an age where it is fun to go in groups without the chaperone (within reason).

I say let him go have fun!

No way! He's the perfect age now for he and a group of his friends to go around the neighborhood together.

Middle schoolers still trick or treat. High school is too old, unless they're in costume and accompanying younger children.

Let him go trick or treating as long as he wants to. What's the harm?

Anyone who shows up at my door in a costume, whether they're six or sixty-six gets candy!

I say let him go walking around if he wants, so long as there is no mischeif. My daughter is 16 this year and will most likely go (went last year at 15 as The Crow). My oldest is now 23 and he went out every year, even his Senior year. Both of them preferred walking around to going to a party. Then again, all of that might have something to do with the fact that Halloween is my favorite holiday :) Just ask him what he wants to do. Maybe he's lost interest, maybe he wants to be in charge of decorating the house and yard. Oh and all the high school kids in my neighborhood know - you want candy from me you better come in costume and say trick or treat - I don't just hand it out because you are standing at my door!

Oh my gosh what is your rush Mama? :P

My oldest son stopped around 11 and it made me so SAD! My younger son went much longer . . . maybe 14?

I agree, this is the perfect age to go around with some friends.

I don't mind if older kids trick-or-treat, as long as they are wearing costumes and not out to make trouble. Our local high school kids go out trick-or-treating collecting canned goods for the food bank.

The last year I trick-or-treated was when I was 13, but after that I always dressed up for the Halloween dance.

He's not too old to trick or treat...we even get some kids as old as 15/16 out with their buddies. I think any age kid can trick or treat...through high school. I like seeing the little kids and later the older kids. Everyone is having a good time. By later in the evening when the older kids come I want to get rid of any candy I have left so I give them huge handfuls. They always like that! :) Let him do it if he wants to...no big deal!

I don't know why you wouldn't let him go. I went even when I was 18 and now I get to go with my own kids who are 6 and 8 :) I love trick or treating!!

no way! he is still good! i would encourage him to have fun with his friends. I would say in the next 1-2 years he will start to lose interest in going "trick or treating".

Kids in our area continue to trick-or-treat into junior high and high school. We have seen some very elaborate costumes on older kids - they really go all-out! My daughter is turning 11 and is in 6th grade. She's very excited to trick-or-treat with her friends. In fact, that reminds me that I need to go order her costume (which she picked out in July ;).

Let him go :)

I went all through high school and even first year of college (we had a friend who had NEVER gone, so we HAD to take her!!! LOL)

We have so few kids that come to our neighborhood that we welcome them all. I think that people that complain because they are too cheap to give a piece of candy to a kid, even a big kid, are just lame.

I remember that age and still going out with friends to trick or treat. I've seen kids older than 12 trick or treating in my neighborhood, they still get my candy. I don't really see a harm in it.

You can always offer to throw a little Halloween party for him at your house if you don't want him out trick or treating. Him and some of his friends can dress up, you can get some snacks, pizza and candy for them and they can watch movies and such. I remember doing things like that with my friends when I got too old to trick or treat.

I'd let him go if he wants to and his friends are going. What's the harm?

It seems to vary a lot by area. Here I regularly see kids in the 14-15 y.o. range trick-or-treating. It seems that if you're not drving yet, it's accepted. Where I grew up 12 is pretty much the outer limit (6th or 7th grade). What is the norm for your area? What are his friends and classmates going to do?

Where I live, 6th grade is still in elementary and the kids dress up for a party at school.

Besides, there is no such thing as too old for Trick or Treating. We occasionally have college students come around and I think it is great that they took the time to dress up and join the community in the fun.

My sons are 13 and 11. They will be trick or treating with another neighborhood boy, who is 15. The cool thing about this age group is that they can go off on their own, leaving me to hand out candy to the other kids. (We're in a safe neighborhood and the kids are trustworthy.)

let him go!
my kids trick-or-treated well into their teens. they had a blast! i loved seeing the creative costumes the older kids came up with (no one trick or treats out here at the farm:::::sniffle::::::::::).
let him go!
:) khairete
S.

We get high schoolers.
12 is fine to trick or treat!

Our rule was 13 or whenever they decided it was time to quit. My boys ... both stopped trick or treating by age 11. My daughter ... she'd still go if I let her LOL Now she dresses up and helps pass out candy :)

I have to say that in my opinion I'm ok with up to 8th graders trick or treating ... after that ... NO.

Let him go.
You're only young once.
As we age, all the fun things like this go out the window.
When you're this age, it gives you something to look forward to. To have
fun. As we get older, there are less and less of these times.
Let the magic continue for awhile longer!!

The kids around here trick or treat until about 7th/8th grade.
Don't be anxious for him to start going to parties, they tend to start experimenting with drinking/drugs at these things by mid to late middle school.
As long as he's in a costume let him go and have fun. Nothing wrong with childhood pleasures lasting a little longer!

If he really wants to go and is excited about getting a costume, then let him. I think that is the age that my son was GhostRider. It was really his last hurrah at Trick or Treating. And he liked getting dressed up... didn't care much about candy.. just wanted people to see his costume and like it.

By next year, he'll probably think he's too cool. I know my son wanted to go over to a friend's to give out candy and scare the "little kids" when he was in 7th grade. But 6th grade? He had fun going around with his "little" sister (she was 9) and ringing door bells.

I say let him go. He isn't old enough nor big enough to raise eyebrows at people's doors. That won't happen until his big growth spurt.... which is right. around. the. corner. Trust me.
Remember how tiny he looked the first week of school at middle school, compared to the older kids? (Our middle schools is grades 6-8) YOUR son will be one of those giants in 2 more short years. Bittersweet, isn't it?

~Mom of a 15 yr old.

I say he isint too old to trick or treat. Kids in my neighborhood go way older than that! I say let him be a kid:)

I remember going in 9th grade with a bunch of friends. I will give candy to anyone who comes to my door but will not open my door after 9:00. Some times the older kids will go out later and I think it is rude to knock on someone's door after 9:00 especially since I turn out my lights. I also don't mind giving candy to anyone as long as they are in costume regardless of their age.

Let him go. I went well into high school. Its a good time.

F. B.

When my son wanted to go when he was that age, I said, OK, but you have to put together a costume yourself, I am NOT buying one!! So he grabs a mask from years ago, and that's it. And his pillowcase of course. I figured lots of people would just tell him to go away. Nope, he came back happy as a lark with tons of candy. The next year he tried it again, and lot's of people said "come on now, you are too old!!" and he came home. I figured it was better to be beat down by the neighbors than by mom!!

It's totally fine. A nice age for him to go around with friends. Don't rush him to grow up, he'll do that soon enough.

I'd let him go until he was a teen. If he and his friends still like to go even then and they're good kids I'd let them go and take some little kids with them. That way they don't look like their just taking candy from the little kiddo's.

Grade School 12 is fine; middle school 12 is throw a party or escort other kids age.

I hated that I was "too old" and felt my mom just didn't want to spend the money that came with Halloween costumes. I think that being able to attend a party would have been a good option.

Halloween is fun!

he is not too old. we have kids trick or treat here up to highschool age. if they have on a costume they get some candy lol. some of them bring younger kids. some are just out having fun. let him have fun.

Hi ,You may think he is too old for this ,Let him decide when to quit . I let my kids mostly my girl trick or treat at the age of 18 and now she still goes out,as for my son I let him make up his own mind and as of to at the age of 25 he still enjoys going out with his girlfriends kids.Even I enjoy dressing up and going out just for fun.Face it ,Halloween is the only time of the year you can dress up and act a fool and no one knows who you are. Come on dressing up even to pass out candy is a blast. Come on Halloween is for all the kids in us. I refuse to grow up. Thanks and have some fun.

At that age, they tend to get into trouble out there. Kids around here usually stop around 10 yo. Then you have the ones that are a bit older and egg houses etc.

Only you know your son. Will he be embarrassed to,be out thereAre his friends going. Can you trust him. 12 is a really weird age. Betwixt and between.

6th grade is still elementary school where I live (It sounds like 6th is middle school where you are at). But since 6th grade is often still considered elementary age, and since your kid is into trick or treating enough that you CAN imagine his face pressed against the glass in sadness, then yes, of course let him trick or treat this year.
I agree with Angi- I am always happy to pass out candy to the "tweens" (they are always super polite about it- probably because they know they are starting to "push it", lol!) but once they hit 8 or 9th grade, it just seems too old. At that point, don't most kids have a part time job or at least mow lawns or something and earn money to buy their own candy? :)

My step son is 12, almost 13. He is in 7th grade. He's the oldest of our kids. He went trick or treating last year in 6th grade with the rest of his younger siblings. I don't think your son is too old this year. He's growing up fast enough, why take away one of the last childish things he still wants to do? As long as he's not getting into trouble, instead of having innocent fun, I see nothing wrong with it. I'm not sure if my step son will trick or treat this year. He will be at him mom's this year so we haven't really talked about it yet. But the reason I question whether he may or may not, is not about his age, but because he has braces now and really can't eat the candy. He may not want to go, knowing he'd be getting something he can't have.