by Brooke Blythe
Staff Reporter

The doorbell rings, and outside, waiting for their guaranteed candy, is a group of teenagers, dressed up as the most ridiculous things imaginable. Now, one might as themselves, ‘just how old is too old to go trick-or-treating?’ In my opinion, there is definitely a time to draw the line as to when kids should ‘grow up’ and stop going out on Halloween.
Naïve toddlers, who finally reach that age when they understand the concept that they can put on a certain outfit, walk to a few houses, and collect “goodies” from strangers, should not be walking the streets on Halloween with immature seventeen year olds. The number of young kids trick-or-treating has gone down in the past few years, while the statistics of teenagers has continued to rise. Obviously, parents of young children are not advocating the corrupt idea of Halloween that was once so innocent.
Over the past few years, I have personally noticed that the costumes worn on Halloween night are becoming more and more gruesome and unnerving. I think that it is safe to assume that parents do not want their kids to assess and contemplate these types of outfits while they are out trick-or-treating.
The behavior displayed by many teens on October 31 never fails to be somewhat criminal. It is almost as if it is becoming tradition now to stay out all hours of the night, causing disturbance to the community. Whether it be smashing mailboxes or egging someone’s house, it is still 100% illegal; as to what gives people the idea that acts like these are ok to commit is beyond me.
I personally know of parents with young kids who will not let their child stay out past a certain time because they do not want to have to deal with the fear of the teenagers that are out and about. This should not be a normal thing with families; parents should automatically feel okay with the idea of trick-or-treating. Instead, parents of teens should push curfews, and make sure that their high school kids are not wandering the streets late at night.
The maturity level of a teen is measured by how they present themselves to the public and the response that adults give them. I would consider Halloween to be one of the days where it is necessary to present oneself as a mature individual of society. If most high school students didn’t act so childish, then maybe my perspective on this topic would be somewhat different. As of now, though, I would have to discourage the act of high school students trick-or-treating on Halloween night.