Trick-or-treat solo? My kid? Never! Okay, maybe when’s she 30. Fine! Eighteen, but not a day earlier.
I’m kidding.
Sort of.
Maybe.
Not really.
With Halloween right around the corner, trick-or-treating is a hot topic around our home. Fortunately, my six-year-old is blissfully unaware that gathering free candy from perfect strangers on Halloween night without mom and dad is an option… maybe, perhaps, possibly, in the distant, distant future.
Or, never.
Listen, I barely let my kid cross the street without holding my hand, so if you think I’m going to allow her to run rampant around our neighborhood and neighboring neighborhoods in the middle of the night dressed as a dinosaur, you’ve had one too many Snickers.
Sure, my parents let me and my brothers trick-or-treat solo when we were kids, but we lived on a private road and only hit 12 homes tops. Plus, that was back in the late ‘70s when child molesters and kidnappers were too busy trying to get “12:00” from flashing on their VCRs to flash their naughty parts in front of costumed children.
So how young is too young to allow kids to trick-or-treat solo?
In today’s society my answer would be… NEVER.
Yeah, I know, it sounds unreasonable, but I also don’t think kids should be trick-or-treating beyond the age of 14, so take my opinion for what it’s worth.
On the other hand, I am a firm believer that parents—-good, involved, attentive parents—-know their child best. So, if you believe it is in your child’s best interest for him to go door-to-door on Halloween night by himself, then that’s your decision and I don’t dare judge.
However, keep in mind that there is not a law enforcement official or safety expert out there who doesn’t frown upon solo trick-or-treating among minors. According to the National Child Safety Council, elementary and early middle school age kids should not go trick-or-treating without a parent or trusted adult nearby. The group recommends a ratio of at least one adult chaperone to every five kids. If the children are younger than five years old, then the ratio should be three adults to every five kids.
If you let your kids hit the streets solo on Halloween, then safety experts suggest you set clear boundaries in regards to the amount of time they can trick-or-treat and the areas where they are allowed to go. In addition, make sure each child is armed with a flashlight and a cell phone in case of an emergency.
Do you allow your kids to trick-or-treat solo? At what age did you start the tradition? What rules do you have in place?
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