Kids Don't Even Try Anymore- A Halloween Horror Story

Hanover- As Halloween rapidly approaches many kids will fill the streets looking to gather as much candy as possible. Unfortunately, it is socially unacceptable for me to trick or treat anymore; therefore, I will not be participating in the festivities. However, I will have a small role. Hainsview, as many of you know, is a village of houses past our very own Licking Valley High School. As a resident of Hainsview, it is safe to say that it is a trick-or-treating hotspot. Many houses (including my own) participate in the treat giving. Local kids come to Hainsview to get the most candy possible, but these last couple years, I’m not so sure they deserve it.

When I was growing up, my parents would much rather make my costume then buy one from the store. Most store-bought costumes are cheaply made, but sold for crazy prices. Instead of wasting money, my parents encouraged us to be creative and make something on our own. Most of my favorite costumes as a kid were handmade (with the help of my mother of course). She helped me dress up as many things including a bank robber, Frankenstein, and a gangster. These became so e of my most memorable costumes.

Unfortunately, I don’t see much of that anymore. My trick-or-treating days are long gone, but I still pass out candy most years. In the last few years, I have observed far less quality costumes then I used to. Obviously, there is no concrete data to back this up, but it is definitely noticeable. For me, trick or treating was always about the experience. My friends and I used to plan our routes ahead of time. We made it our goal to walk the whole time and try to get as much candy as possible. I always felt very accomplished after trick-or-treat night. Nowadays, some kids are just lazy. They put on a mask and nothing else, have their parents drive them around, and expect to be treated the same as kids who actually spent time on their costume and walk the routes. I personally, give more candy to kids with the best costumes. Also, if a kid is polite and friendly, he or she receives more candy.

So what changed? Personally, I think some of it goes back to parenting. My parents always stressed that I be polite and work for my candy. As stupid as it may sound, trick-or treating helped me improve my “people skills”. Some parents today, don’t focus on that as much as they should, and instead of encouraging their child to make homemade costumes, they buy expensive costumes without batting an eye. We should encourage our children to be creative, polite, and willing to put in work. I know when I have kids, I will pass these ideas along.