Trick or Treat – Who Decides?

Childhood passes very quickly and parents have just a short period of time to create some lasting, enjoyable memories for their children to carry into adulthood. Some parents are aware of this and are very deliberate about creating family traditions, family get-togethers and fun memories. At times, children are the ones that drive family traditions by their mere passion and excitement for certain activities. The traditions around Halloween are particularly enjoyable for most children and it is a day that they look forward to and anticipate usually for weeks in advance.

Traditionally in the United States, children dress up in fancy dress on Halloween night and they knock on the doors of their immediate neighbors, questioning, “trick or treat”? Of course, all of them want a treat! Trick or treating is especially delightful for younger children. They can be seen jumping up and down and shuffling from foot to foot as they wait for candy or a treat to be dropped into their bucket. It is a fun evening for all and I don’t doubt that those neighbors that give the candy experience as much enjoyment and satisfaction as the children that receive the candy. Halloween is usually a fun time for all.

This year in the town of Bobtown, Pennsylvania, a huge amount of controversy has been stirred up as local officials have placed a ban on trick or treating. This year town supervisors have said that children are not allowed to trick or treat at all. This decision, they say, has been made to protect and keep children safe. They have provided what they consider to be an alternative to trick or treating. The local fire house will hold a town party for children instead where officials say the children will be safe and the candy that they are given will also be safe.

Parents and community members in Bobtown are in uproar over this decision and feel that an important tradition, and an opportunity for their children to have large amounts of fun, is being taken from them. For families that place a lot of importance on creating family memories and traditions, the feelings of anger are quite passionate. Surely the decision as to whether children trick or treat or not should be placed in the hands of the parents? As with other decisions, parents themselves should be able to assess the risk of trick or treating and decide whether or not they want to allow their children to go door to door.

Interestingly, professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, Joel Best, conducted research to discover how many children have actually been killed by contaminated or poisoned Halloween candy. Despite all of the fear, cautions and at times hysteria, Best was not about to find evidence of a single child dying due to contaminated Halloween candy. His research went as far bask as 1958.

Clearly there is always some level of risk in the activities that our children participate in. Parents are usually left to make the decision as to whether the risks outweigh the positives. It is hard to understand why Bobtown officials have chosen to exert this level of control over the Halloween activities of local residents. I am sure that children in Bobtown will have fun at the community Halloween party held by town supervisors, however it is very unlikely that it will conjure up the same excitement or memories that a night out trick or treating, dressed up as a favorite character will.