Log in to WRAL.com with one click using your favorite social network:
OR
Log in using your WRAL.com account:



Wrong email/password combination.

Forgot password?

Register with WRAL.com using your favorite social network:
OR
Register for a WRAL.com account using our web form.

1:02 a.m. • 5-23-13

Weather Forecast for Raleigh

  • Today: Thunderstorm.
    • Hi: 83° F
  • Fri: Partly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 74° F
  • Sat: Clear.
    • Hi: 72° F

Other Locations

> 7 Day Forecast

Doppler Image
Go Ask Mom
Halloween in Chapel Hill
print friendly

Halloween and Teens: How old is too old to trick or treat

Published: 2010-10-25 21:03:00
Updated: 2010-10-25 21:05:46

I asked a 13-year-old the other day if she planned to trick or treat. Her answer: Not sure.

Last year, at age 12, she dressed up and went door-to-door. This year, she's torn between feeling too old and wanting candy.

I suspect this is a common question for parents and young teens. I trick-or-treated all through high school as did all my friends in the small town I grew up in. But we also came up with elaborate costumes that required all kinds of paper mache and glue guns. We definitely worked for our candy.

But it seems teens are discouraged these days from going door-to-door. And some cities (though none around here that I know of) actually ban teens from trick-or-treating.

If your teens are looking for an alternative, there are some Halloween events aimed at them.

Youngsville Realty will be hosting a Teen Halloween Bash from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday for kids ages 13 to 17. The event at Crossroads Entertainment, 413 Brooks St., in Wake Forest will include a costume contest, music, dancing, giveaways, lots of candy and refreshments. The cover charge is $5. Call 919-556-2588 for details. (Note: The Teen Halloween Bash is not the same as the Oct. 30 event advertised on Crossroads' website).

This is the first time Youngsville Realty has hosted the event. Anne Marie Della Morte, the realty company's owner, said she has left her business open on Halloween night to give out candy. But she noticed mostly young children coming by.

"The teens don't have anywhere to go," she said. "They have nowhere to go, nothing to do and guess what ... they get in trouble."

DellaMorte said her 14-year-old granddaughter and grandson will both be there.

"That was my main motive to do this, for them," she said. "I just figured they could socialize with other teens, dance and get to know other kids."

Here are a few other events teens might enjoy. A couple of them are organized by teens themselves.

  • Cary offers a Reel-ly Scary Movie Series at Koka Booth Amphitheatre starting Tuesday through Saturday. Gates open at 6 p.m. And the town's teen council and youth theatre will hold a Halloween Bash on Saturday with carnival games and a haunted house. The event is for all ages. Teens might enjoy the haunted house the most. Click here for details on both. 
  • Durham will hold a costume party for teens ages 13 to 17 at W.D. Hill Recreation Center, 1308 Fayetteville St. from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday. There will be dancing, entertainment and other activities. Call 919-560-4292 for details.
  • Wakefield Theatre Company of Wakefield High School in Raleigh will hold its annual Family Fall Fun Festival from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The event is for all ages and includes a haunted house. Click here for details.
  • The Halloween Teen Dance Party & Costume Fashion Show at Garner Road YMCA in Raleigh is for kids ages 13 to 18. The event is 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $6. The event is a fundraiser for Second Round Boxing, which connects at-risk students with positive role models, and N.C. H.E.A.T., a student organization that has actively opposed some of the Wake school board's decisions.
  • And of course there are all the haunted houses in the area. Check the Halloween and fall fun guide for more.

I'm sure there are more. So feel free to include your event in the comments. What are your teens doing this weekend?

 

Read More Posts from this Blog

12 Comments


WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.


page 1 | 2
<prev    next>
sort order: oldest first | newest first

One of the problems we have today is that we expect our kids to grow up toooo fast, then we moan the blues when they end up in trouble. In my day, the teenagers were just as much or more into Halloween as the "kids". In the origins of Halloween, the whole community used it to blow off steam and scare off evil, and lord knows we could use enough of that. Why would anyone begrudge a bit of innocent fun and Candy to ANYONE at any AGE. In today's stress filled world, I would love to see Adults dressing up and trick or treating, just to relieve some of the tension. Don't make our children grow up too fast and don't deny them the simple pleasures of trick or treating. If an 18 year old shows up at your door, smile, give him/her a great candy bar, and thank the lord they are not out drinking and driving, or papering your lawn, or egging your vehicles, just because they are bored and considered (by some) "too old" to trick or treat. God Bless

"I don't mind the age, but I do think the kids needs to make sure they come by early. The ones that wait till 8/8:30 make me nervous and I tend not to open the door after that time. Also, the kids that change costumes and come back around a 2nd time. These kids are not starving or poor. They don't need the candy - they're just greedy!" - JAT

The kids in my old neighborhood didn't change costumes they just came back a second time.

My teenagers will be doing a Trunk or Treat early in the evening for the little kids at church, then will go trick or treating with their friends (in costume) later on. I've never understood why people think Halloween is only for very young children. They enjoy it the least of anyone!

I don't mind the age, but I do think the kids needs to make sure they come by early. The ones that wait till 8/8:30 make me nervous and I tend not to open the door after that time. Also, the kids that change costumes and come back around a 2nd time. These kids are not starving or poor. They don't need the candy - they're just greedy!

I agree with a couple of the other comments that after elementary school, it is time to stop. My 3rd grader had earlier said he did not want to go but has since changed his mind. We do not go door-to-door anyway but to church fall festivals in costume where he gets just as much candy.

My daughter just turned 14, but I'm planning on allowing her to dress up and go out. One of her friends has already invited her in their neighborhood. I agree with the comments that as long as the kids are dressed up and not being punks I am glad to have them out and about. My daughter's birthday is the day before Halloween and I've also got to figure out what we can do that night, I always try to do something NOT Halloween themed. She wants to do a corn maze, but not a haunted one?!?!

I have to say once you are out of elementary school you are to old. My daughter is in 3rd grade and is saying this will be her last year.

kittiboo -- I'm with you! I have no problem with kids or the kid-at-heart, but you need a costume to get candy from me!

I guess I'm a scrooge...I think after 5th grade it's time to stop...now if there is an organized party, that is different, but just to go door to door, I think Halloween is just for the little kids!

Wow, back home (western NC), usually the teens out number children on halloween. It is the thing to do on halloween night for teenagers to go out trick or treating in all the newest costumes. It wasn't about the candy for most, just getting out with friends and being entertained by all the decorations. I am glad to know, though, there are plenty of activities in the triangle for teens to attend!

page 1 | 2
<prev    next>
sort order: oldest first | newest first

Video

 
  • The students and staff at Cedar Fork Elementary star in a music video to capture their journey of learning for this year. The lyrics…

  • Leeann Eagle talks about her business creating personalized and appliqued apparel for kids.

  • Check out the scene at our big playdate featuring Artspace, Lil' Chef, the Chick-fil-A cow, Rissi Palmer, the Wake County Sheriff's…

  • Cristin DeRonja, director of the SAFEchild Advocacy Center and a Raleigh mom of four, tells us that listening to your children is…

  • LeeAnn Donnelly of Biltmore talks about the estate in Asheville and spots that families shouldn't miss when the visit.

  • Anna Norton, a Cary mom, talks about her journey with Type 1 diabetes, her involvement in Diabetes Sisters and the nonprofit's…

  • The city celebrates the grand reopening of its historic carousel on Saturday, April 20.

  • Julie Stoner, a Raleigh mom of two, will compete in her first Boston Marathon on Monday.

  • Go Ask Mom editor Sarah Lindenfield Hall talks with WRAL about preparing for a half marathon and how running can help moms stay…

  • Cristin DeRonja of SAFEchild in Wake County talks about the agency's program called Funny Tummy Feelings, which teaches kids skills…

  • Mary Poole, Artspace executive director, talks about the collection of artist studios and galleries in downtown Raleigh and why it's…

  • Beatrice Diaz, a mom of four in Chapel Hill, talks about her business Absolute Joy.

  • The best part about the playground at north Raleigh's Optimist Park is it's in the shade. And when the kids get too hot, you can just…

  • Cristin DeRonja, director of the SAFEchild Advocacy Center, talks about the programs offered at the Wake County nonprofit.

  • Cristin DeRonja, director of the SAFEchild Advocacy Center in Raleigh, talks about the four kinds of child abuse and what you can do…

  • Robyn Bennai and Liz Lemons, Raleigh moms, talk about their venture - shopbidgive.com - which provides an online home for silent…

  • Buffaloe Road Athletic Park, home to the Buffaloe Road Aquatics Center, also features a small playground.

  • Rosalind Baglio, manager of the Chapel Hill boutique, talks about what the store offers. It's part of the Women's Birth & Wellness…


GoAskMom Camp Guide promo 320x110