Trick-or-treating is something I looked forward to every year. When I was a kid, it was always exciting to decide what costume to wear. My mom would often make me a DIY costume, so I had to decide what I wanted to be weeks in advance. I remember meeting my friends on Halloween at my house or one of their houses and then going to get our candy.
I don’t remember when I stopped trick-or-treating, but it was probably in middle school or early high school. When I became a parent, I was able to relive the fun of trick-or-treating by helping my kids pick out their costumes and going with them on Halloween night.
It’s only been a few years since kids have been allowed to go trick-or-treating, and while there’s never been an exact age to do so, many cities want to change that.
In Chesapeake, Virginia, lawmakers are threatening jail time for anyone over the age of 12 who goes door-to-door. According to the city’s code of ordinances, people over the age of 12 who go door-to-door “are guilty of a misdemeanor and are subject to a fine of not less than $25 and not more than $100 or to imprisonment for not more than six months, or both…. An individual who goes door-to-door after 8:00 p.m. is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to a fine of not more than $100 or a jail term of not more than 30 days, or both.”
Six months in jail for trying to get free candy sounds like a lot to us.
Chesapeake isn’t the only city trying to stop teens from going door-to-door. Other cities in New Jersey and North Carolina are strongly suggesting a 12-year age limit for door-to-door canvassing, and many cities are also enforcing curfews.
There are mixed opinions on whether or not these age limits are a good idea. Many residents do not feel safe with older teens knocking on their doors late at night on Halloween, and they also feel that teens are too old to receive free candy. On the other hand, many people have enjoyed trick-or-treating well past the age of 12, sometimes with their younger siblings, and they think the age limit is ridiculous.
