Past the age of 12, parents start to look at their gangly, hormonal kids heading out the door in a costume with a pillowcase on Halloween and wonder — Are they too old for this?

It’s a fair question, and one with no clear answer: Just how old is too old to trick or treat?

There are no hard and fast laws, and even if there were, enforcing them would be a challenge. People who pass out candy on Halloween night have their own judgments and expectations, but socially, where is the line here?

 

It Has More to Do With Attitude

 

 

 

For the most part, parents and people who pass out candy agree, that it has more to do with how kids act than how old they are.

High school kids who trick or treat only get a raised eyebrow when they’re ruining the fun for the little kids who are just getting started. If you have a teenager who wants to keep trick or treating, let them go nuts, but be sure they follow some basic etiquette:

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• Scary is fun, but make sure costumes aren’t too over the top for young kids. Limit the gore, and save the Hollywood effects for the Halloween party.
• When there’s a big crowd of younger kids, instruct your teens to hang back and let them get first dibs on the candy. Yield to the tiny humans.
• Tell them to save the tricks for post trick or treating hours — they’re setting the example for the younger kids.
• No foul language, and no scaring the tiny humans.
• Tell them to mind their manners: say please and thank you, and don’t get greedy.

 

Should Teenagers Get to Trick Or Treat?

 

 

 

With no concrete rules in place to give parents a concrete age cut-off for trick or treating, the question remains — is it socially acceptable for teens to trick or treat?

Here at Joovy Mag, we generally flip the bird to doing what we should and say do what you want — as long as everybody wins. If a teenager is polite and well-mannered AND costumed, does it really matter how old they are?

To get some perspective, we asked parents what their feelings were on trick-or-treating teens.

 

“You will be an adult far longer than a child. Why rush them? It doesn’t bother me in the least when we get high schoolers. They could be doing far worse.”

— Jenasee Austill

 

“[You’re too old] when the dressing up part is less fun than the candy getting part. I mean, it’s a whole experience right? If you want to skip one just for the “give me” part, you’re too old. 🙂”

— Christie Backstrom

 

The short version?

Let kids be kids for as LONG as they want to be kids. All too quickly, the world of sex talks and bathroom stall vandalism becomes what parents worry about instead.

If they want to be kids a little longer, coach them on being polite, just like you did when they were kids, and let them score some free candy.

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How old were you when YOU stopped trick or treating? Tell us in the comments below!