Every year on October 31st, children go door to door saying “Trick or treat!” and receive candy. As the children grow older, the question of whether they should go trick-or-treating arises. Most children stop trick-or-treating between the ages of 12 and 16. My answer to this question is that teens should be allowed to continue trick-or-treating no matter how old they are.

Although I believe that teens should engage in trick-or-treating, l think they should put effort into a costume, just like most children do. This work entails actually putting the effort into a costume. The costume should be bought at a store or homemade, and it would be ideal if it would be something that the owners of the house giving out the candy would understand. This way, the owner of the houses will feel okay giving candy away to teenagers.

Another concept that should be expected from teenagers if they plan on trick-or-treating is being polite. This means getting rid of the rolling eyes and putting on a smile. It also means saying “thank you” and  “have a good night.” Teens should also not vandalise houses or take all the candy. According to Findlaw.com, 19% of property crimes is vandalism, 21% is off-premises theft, and 60% is theft from the home. According to Lawyers.com, egging a house is charged as malicious mischief. This is punishable with at least 90 days in jail, with a $1,000 fine, and that is if there was no damage done.

Not only should the teenagers be polite to the adults, but the adults should also respect the teenagers. If the teenagers put in the effort, time, and money to dress up and be in the halloween spirit, the adults should give them recognition and be polite as well.

Some teens go trick-or-treating in place of partying, where they are likely peer pressured into making bad decisions that they will regret later. Drinking and driving is one of these bad decisions. Last year, 375 DUIs were given to Colorado’s licensed drivers on Halloween according to Denver Post. Now while most teenagers are not licensed, they could get in a car with an impaired driver, which has the possibility of being deadly.

I strongly encourage all teenagers to go out with their friends and have a good time, while being polite, and dressed up as whatever they choose. Halloween is a tradition that has lasted for may generations, and teenagers trick-or-treating keeps the tradition alive.