About the Writer
Anna Parsons, Staff Writer
Anna is a sophomore at NAI this year. This is her first year writing for NAEye newspaper. Anna enjoys participating in the arts including theatre, painting,...
Trick or Treating: What’s the Max Age?
When is a person too old to voluntarily take candy from strangers?
October 9, 2019
Children walking around their neighborhood in bedsheets saying “BOO!”, overpriced Stranger Things Eleven costumes in constant sight, and endless amounts of money spent on gigantic bags of chocolate treats. All of these are characteristics of the one night children dream of. Halloween.
This is the only night of the year that it is considered okay for children to accept candy and chips from strangers. But when is someone too old to trick or treat? I asked students at NAI about their opinions on trick or treating.
Elle Schoedel
Elle Schoedel, a NAI sophomore, said she believed a good max age would be 14. Schoedel said, “After 14, it just isn’t fun anymore. I was 13 when I stopped trick or treating.”
Pratik Yarlagadda
Pratik Yarlagadda, a sophomore, said a good max age would have to be 14. Yarlagadda said, “I don’t know, I just think that’s a good age. It’s like the basic end of middle school age. I stopped trick or treating when I was 14.”
Lamees Subeir
Lamees Subeir, a freshman this year, said 13 was a good max age for trick or treating. Subeir said, “It’s an age where you’re done with middle school and going into highschool. It’s a year to mature a bit and be done with childhood things. My last Halloween trick or treating was when I was 13.”
Marissa Granite
Marissa Granite, a sophomore at NAI, said she believed the max age for trick or treating was 13. Granite said, “As you get older, trick or treating just isn’t as special. It loses its magic and charm if you go out as a teenager. I know I was 12 or 13 when I stopped trick or treating, sometime in middle school.”
Mia Simmons
Mia Simmons, a sophomore, said 14 or 15 as a max age. Simmons said, “Once you hit high school, it’s not as exciting. I was 15 when I finished trick or treating.”
Matthew Koah
Matthew Koah, a sophomore at NAI, said he believed a max age for trick or treating would be about 13. Koah said, “It’s like the end of middle school and after that it’s not as fun. I feel like middle school is the last time your considered a kid. I was 13 my last year.”
All of the interviewed students did agree on one aspect of trick or treating. Each said that if they saw someone older than the age they said was a good max age trick or treating, they honestly wouldn’t care.
Lamees Subeir said, “I wouldn’t care. I would probably join them honestly!”
Mia Simmons said, “Honestly, if they still think it’s fun, then it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t care.”
A constant pattern within the interviews was that the students stated that the end of middle school meant the end of trick or treating. The students mostly believed that middle school marked the end of childhood activities.
Children anticipate the candy holiday each October. Trick or treating is a special aspect of our childhoods that creates memories for us to look back on. As we get older, though, we find new ways to enjoy Halloween like haunted houses and hayrides, costume parties, or by making pumpkin treats.
I think all can agree that Halloween can be enjoyed and embraced by all generations. The holiday has so much to offer. Everyone, no matter how old, can have a fun time celebrating Halloween.
Have a happy Halloween!