Call me a prude, but little kids wandering around a poorly-lit neighborhood at night, at the same time that people are in a rush to get home from work (so they can take their kids trick-or-treating) has never seemed particularly safe to me. I can understand why people would prefer to do it in a parking lot instead of in a neighborhood. Trunk-or-treating is also good for kids who don't live in a big neighborhood.
Post by water*drop on Sept 26, 2014 8:41:04 GMT -5
LOL! I'm glad you have a safe alternative available to you. Nothing says "Halloween fun" like a parking lot in broad daylight.
(Though I am jealous of your parade of costumes. We get very strict "NO COSTUMES ARE PERMITTED ON THE PROPERTY" emails leading up to Halloween.)
ETA: I was assuming that it's happening in broad daylight because that's when most of our trunk or treating occurs here. If it's at night, that's at least a little better.
I moved to the suburbs so my kids could go TOT! If we still lived in our old urban neighborhood there would not be traditional trick or treating, so I think it's nice to have an alternative for kids who don't live in a SFH neighborhood.
I would be so sad if I couldn't make it due to work. I hate when schools and daycares have special events during the day. Especially daycare, because pretty much every kid has working parents...
Yeah, that is the part that was confusing to me. I mean I pay for daycare BECAUSE I am busy working from 7am-4pm....
ETA: and by "busy working" of course I mean ordering Fisher Price nativity sets, looking at Bitty Babies, and debating TOT customs
I would be so sad if I couldn't make it due to work. I hate when schools and daycares have special events during the day. Especially daycare, because pretty much every kid has working parents...
DS' daycare had some schoolwide daytime event once a MONTH that they want parents to attend (meet n greet breakfast, costume parade, etc). This is in addition to individual classrooms asking parents to volunteer to come in to read stories to the kids, lead an activity, etc.
I think it's convenient and all, but I like the tradition of trick or treating from house to house! We live in a neighborhood and the houses aren't super close together, so we don't get a ton of TOTers and it makes me sad.
Post by iheartbanjos on Sept 26, 2014 9:10:36 GMT -5
While I wouldn't miss work to take my kid to this, when we lived in Denver, the Saturday before Halloween most of the neighborhoods have festivals where you trick or treat in the little downtown. There is tons of food, bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, booze for adults, and it's a great time. It's in broad daylight and starts around 10am.
On actual Halloween, we go to maybe 10 houses and call it good.
Post by chickens987 on Sept 26, 2014 9:12:27 GMT -5
I lived in a seriously bad neighborhood growing up (Columbia Heights DC for DCMMM - 30 years ago it was nothing like today) and we totally went ToTing. ToTing makes some of my best childhood memories.
It makes me really sad that ToT has developed a reputation as a dangerous and unpopular activity. Halloween was such a blast "back in the day" - we would ToT for HOURS on Halloween night and get a shitton of candy. Now it seems like everyone is opting for Halloween parties and trunk or treat functions instead. It's too bad that my kids will never experience Halloween the way I did.
I would be so sad if I couldn't make it due to work. I hate when schools and daycares have special events during the day. Especially daycare, because pretty much every kid has working parents...
Yeah, that is the part that was confusing to me. I mean I pay for daycare BECAUSE I am busy working from 7am-4pm....
ETA: and by "busy working" of course I mean ordering Fisher Price nativity sets, looking at Bitty Babies, and debating TOT customs
One of the daycares where we're on the wait list required prospective parents to tour the center before they could get on the wait list, but they only offer tours at like 10 am. The reason I need to pay you $$$ to care for my child is because I'm at work during the day!!
I'm firmly in the "boycott trunk or treating nonsense" camp. Yes it is convenient but we need to take Halloween back to our neighborhoods, get to know our neighbors, and let our kids have a little freedom and fun. FFS
Post by turtlegirl on Sept 26, 2014 9:23:39 GMT -5
I live in a cluster ofthe safe suburban towns and trunk or treating crap is everywhere. Makes me ragey! And most neighborhoods still get decent amount of real TOTing, so I just don't understand!
I don't understand doing multiple TOT/Halloween events. What is the crazy fear that most people fear about their own neighborhoods and neighbors?!?! It's seems to me most of these "safe alternative" events happen in already safe suburban towns.
Post by turtlegirl on Sept 26, 2014 9:38:16 GMT -5
We are moving this month and our new neighborhood is kinda small and doesn't have the easiest access to other neighborhoods, so it'll be interesting to see how TOTing goes this year.
If it seems dead then we'll just cut through to our old neighborhood which is connected via an unlit bike trail...the horror! The only way out of our neighborhood by car is to a main road where the first stoplight leads to a huge state prison. Maybe they have a good trunk or treat event? LOl.
But in all seriousness, the only alternate TOT event I've considered is the one at the local nursing home. I figure my kids are too young to realize what they are missing and it seems like a good deed to cheer up the nursing home folks. I think they do it on actual Halloween during normal TOT times.
Post by leonard131 on Sept 26, 2014 9:54:32 GMT -5
I think the whole TOT thing has gotten a little out of hand. What happened to being able to walk up and down your street, see your neighbors and enjoy an night with your family?
I posted last week about my parents town completely changing TOT to Thursday night because it is home football weekend. For f^ck sakes - what does a college football game have to do with kids walking in neighborhoods that are predominantly away from campus.