Did you go treak-or-treating with your kids? When will they be allowed to go alone?

[Corie]

Did you go trick-or-treating with your kids?? When will they be allowed to go alone??


My friend let her 8 yr. old son go trick-or-treating with 3 other 8 yr. olds. No parents. I thought she was crazy!
She thinks I'm too over-protective.


What do you think??

[lmintzer]

Did you go trick-or-treating with your kids?? When will they be allowed to go alone??


My friend let her 8 yr. old son go trick-or-treating with 3 other 8 yr. olds. No parents. I thought she was crazy!
She thinks I'm too over-protective.


What do you think??

I went trick-or-treating with my 9 (almost 10) year-old son. Granted, he and his friend would sometimes run ahead of me a house or two, but they were always in sight.

I let my 12-year-old 7th grader go with just friends this year for the first time. Most of his peers went without parents last year (in 6th grade).

[zukeypur]

I would let 8 year olds trick or treat before it gets really dark within a block of my house while carrying my cell phone. I went with my kids, but we only did our block. They are 3 and 7. DD was Steve from Minecraft and I was worried about her not being able to hear or see well with a giant box on her head.

[AnnieW625]

We started out with two adults for 5, 7 yr. old girls, and my 3 yr. old DD2. DD2 got tired about 30 minutes in so I left with her, the rest of the girls lasted about another 20 minutes. We were in a gated community w/a gaurd and with about 100 homes, but they didn't get to all of them. The 5th grade girls (all 10) had one adult with them (There were 5 of them as well) The three 12 yr. old girls were able to go on their own in the same community. The parents (who lives in the community and were our hosts) told their 12 yr. old daughter she couldn't go trick or treating on the nearby island (which is like living in a gated community as it has small streets, and the houses are on canals) with some of her friends and the daughter was mad about that, but ended up having a good time t.o.t. with her two other friends and staying in their community. I am not a fan of gated communities, but for Halloween they are pretty nice.

If I lived in a suburb on a non busy street and I could see my kids while I handed out candy from my own front porch I would be okay with them going at 9 or 10 as long as they came right back after going up one side of street and back down the other. If they wanted to go out of my eyesight then I would need to go with them. I was 12 the first time I went without my parents and I went with a group of kids who were a year older than I was.

[crl]

I let my ten year old walk himself to and from school. I even let him go to his school carnival by himself. But I would not let him go trick or treating by himself. It's dark or getting that way, there are lots of people (in costume! So unidentifiable) from outside our area milling around. Some people party, ie drink for the holiday, increasing the risk of being hit by a car. No way. I don't think next year either.

Catherine

[123LuckyMom]

We live in a very small town where I actually know everyone at all the houses my child would visit either personally or through a good friend, and I know almost all the people on the streets the same way, but honestly, I don't think I'd feel comfortable with this. I would certainly allow the group to go together while a parent or two followed at a discreet distance. We (a large group of parents and five year olds) let our kids basically go from house to house with us trailing behind (as in, not escorting them directly to the door). I can't imagine letting 8 year olds go on their own, though. I have a five year old and a little one, so I'm not so up on what an 8 year old is like, but I can't imagine letting my child do this before age 11 or so. Maybe I'll feel differently when my kids are older. Meanwhile, Halloween in our town is a huge social gathering. It only lasts for an hour and a half, and most of the town goes to two streets and the cross streets in between, so you really do bump into everyone! The adults seem to have just as much fun as the kids. I certainly can see stopping to chat while the group of 8 year olds moves on for a few houses, but more independence than that seems unwise.

[BabyBearsMom]

I did but I have a 1.5 yo and a 3.5 yo so DH and I both went with a group of DD1's friends and their parents. I know I was trick or treating by myself while I was still in Elementary School but I can't remember what age. Probably 4th grade? I don't know when we will let our kids go alone. I grew up in a small town, very suburban, very safe, my parents knew everyone on the entire street. My kids are growing up in a more urban (we live in the suburbs of a big city, but it is significantly more densely populated than where I gew up) area with more crime. I guess I will figure it out when the time comes.

[o_mom]

My 10 yo went with three other boys by themselves this year. They went right at 5 pm when it was still light, checked in with us every 30-60 min, stayed in our neighborhood and were home by dark.

Much like the 'Do you let your kids play in the yard alone?' threads, it really depends on the kids and the neighborhood, IMO. At our previous house, I would not have let him.

ETA: I would not have let them go at age 8, though. My 8 yo went with a chaperoned group of friends and the 6 yo with DH.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd have been ok with my 11yo and his 2 friends going solo this year but they opted to come with me and ds2. I was ok with it at 10yo but one of the other moms wasn't so she went with them. 8? No way.

[lizzywednesday]

I was 10 or 11 the first time I was permitted to go out trick-or-treating with my BFF and no parental supervision.

We were given a curfew and two flashlights.

I wouldn't let an 8-year-old go alone, but I would be willing to consider allowing a 10 or 11 year old go alone.

[Gracemom]

My 10 year old wanted to go with friends this year for the first time. I compromised with her. I stayed at the corner with our dog and let her go down the street with her friends. She was not in my sight for half the street. She was happy when she came back about 15 minutes later that I trusted her to go down & back the street on her own. I think 8 is too young.

[nfowife]

I would let my 2 kids (6 and 8) go on my street (dead end) together before it gets very dark. Once it's dark and they want to leave our street, though, I go with them. We all do our street together and then one adult stays home with the toddler giving out candy while the other adult takes the big kids to the neighboring streets, in the dark. And my neighborhood is dark- no streetlights, in a small new england town.

[MelissaTC]

M decided to go with DH instead of the boys in the neighborhood. He'll go with them next year so he'll be in 7th grade and 12 years old.

[twowhat?]

Oh yes, and I dressed up too:) No idea when I'll let them go alone!

[lhafer]

We live in a large master planned community. I have a 7 and 3 year old. We make it a huge group affair. We always have early dismissal that day, so we (parents and kids) all go to a friend's house soon after school (early afternoon). The kids play and party, play games, they have a piñata, etc. We all pitch in for a bounce house and pizza. Then we usually go as a huge group trick or treating. The older kids (ages 7-9ish) always run ahead a few houses, but within site. The smaller kids (ages 3-4) stick with the adults. This way this kids have fun with their friends, and the adults can have their own conversations. And everyone's supervised. Plus, because they played all afternoon, they are usually pretty worn out and only trick or treat for about an hour before they are tired! That means less candy to have to deal with!

[squimp]

I love going Trick or Treating myself. So I'll go until DD won't let me. She is 10 and went with about 8 friends and half of the moms went for fun too. It was a blast.

[Momit]

I was blown away to see a 5-year-old roaming by himself. He's one of DS's friends. I know his dad was out with his little sister but they were not even on the same street when we saw them.

Not sure when we will let DS go by himself. I guess we'll discuss it when he asks to go with his friends instead!

[Kindra178]

5th grade seems to be the age here.

[billysmommy]

I love to go trick or treating so I'll probably always go.
But we go to a neighborhood where some friends live and this year we let Ds1 (10yrs/5th grade) go around the neighborhood with 2 of his friends while the parents went with the younger kids (7yrs/2nd grade). It's a pretty big cul-de-sac so we would run into the older ones a few times. They loved the freedom and we were comfortable with the lay-out to let them do it

[maestramommy]

Like, never? JK. I don't know yet. IF they all go together maybe when DD1 is 10. Or 12. Our street is just really dark ( no streetlights), no sidewalks, and the houses are far apart. Some of them have long driveways too.

[mom2binsd]

Dd who is in 5th grade went with three other friends, ages 10-11, we live in a quiet small city, they went from 5:30-7:30. This is the first year I let her go. The other parents all agreed they were sensible enough to be on their own.

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[pastrygirl]

Well...we have to drive somewhere to go trick-or-treating...so, when he gets his license? LOL.

[KpbS]

Our neighborhood is really hilly, almost insanely so in parts so there is very limited visibility. So that plus the fact that there are cars, lots of distractions, and the occasional house where the occupants are trying to freak out ToTers, I really have no idea when would be a good time. Definitely not before age 13/14.

[essnce629]

DH went out with DS1 (10), his friend (11), and DS2 (4). The thought of sending the older two out alone never even crossed my mind and I don't think the boys thought about it either! But we don't step foot outside our house till it's completely dark and a lot of the streets in our neighborhood only have sidewalks on one side of the street and it's pretty dark with not very many street lights so not the safest environment for TOT'ing. I think when he's 13 I'd let him go with friends. This was the first year I actually dressed up and stayed back to hand out candy and that was fun!

[stefani]

DS is 10 years old this year. He went with 4 other boys, but there were 4 parents coming along. I am just concerned that he would get lost as I usually lose my bearings on where home is after turning here and there. We were at some friends' neighborhood, but even around my own house I would still expect an adult to come along.
I am not sure at what age I would be comfortable with him going without any adults...