With Halloween just past us, I can't help but wonder what happened to "trick" in "trick-or-treating." It used to be, back in the old days, that when kids yelled out "trick-or-treat" they were actually asking a question. It was a threatening question. There was a real chance of vandalism if an adult or their treat was not appreciated.
Go back and watch the old classic film, Meet Me in St. Louis, which depicts Halloween in the early 20th century. Getting candy was truly a minor concern compared with the mayhem that the town children, completely unsupervised, were about to unleash on their town.
This made me realize that Halloween used to be a genuinely scary evening where actual crimes by children were not only committed, but expected and tolerated. It's true that the majority of the 'tricks' were minor infractions-- kids just letting off steam--but still criminal acts nonetheless. In fact, many adults chuckled over their own Halloween transgressions.
Now everything is safe and supervised. There isn't the opportunity to be creative. Our costumes are pre-made. There isn't even a chance of getting hurt or in trouble. And kids can't even hope to be naughty. In fact, it is criminal if they are naughty. They must be well-behaved for the evening. It's a completely different-and boring-Halloween from much earlier years.
It's not that adults have become overly protective as much as the world is a much more evil place. What used to be harmless fun equates to real risks in the modern world. Halloween is not really a fun, safe night anymore for either adults or children.
Now our kids can no longer accept homemade treats. It could be unsafe. It's necessary to check each individual piece of their candy for tampering. Someone could have added something to it to harm anyone who eats it. Now there is the serious danger and concern of abduction when our children are out for the night.
When I wish for a night of mayhem, I'm really longing for a time when childhood was a safe, good, and fun time of life. Until that happens, we can never allow our kids to be 'bad' when real evil exists. - 16463
Go back and watch the old classic film, Meet Me in St. Louis, which depicts Halloween in the early 20th century. Getting candy was truly a minor concern compared with the mayhem that the town children, completely unsupervised, were about to unleash on their town.
This made me realize that Halloween used to be a genuinely scary evening where actual crimes by children were not only committed, but expected and tolerated. It's true that the majority of the 'tricks' were minor infractions-- kids just letting off steam--but still criminal acts nonetheless. In fact, many adults chuckled over their own Halloween transgressions.
Now everything is safe and supervised. There isn't the opportunity to be creative. Our costumes are pre-made. There isn't even a chance of getting hurt or in trouble. And kids can't even hope to be naughty. In fact, it is criminal if they are naughty. They must be well-behaved for the evening. It's a completely different-and boring-Halloween from much earlier years.
It's not that adults have become overly protective as much as the world is a much more evil place. What used to be harmless fun equates to real risks in the modern world. Halloween is not really a fun, safe night anymore for either adults or children.
Now our kids can no longer accept homemade treats. It could be unsafe. It's necessary to check each individual piece of their candy for tampering. Someone could have added something to it to harm anyone who eats it. Now there is the serious danger and concern of abduction when our children are out for the night.
When I wish for a night of mayhem, I'm really longing for a time when childhood was a safe, good, and fun time of life. Until that happens, we can never allow our kids to be 'bad' when real evil exists. - 16463
About the Author:
Avid blogger Kasey Morton writes extensively on a large range of topics. He writes on many issues relating to small businesses, marketing, movies, and insurance matters. He has a particular interest in nursing jobs and travel nursing jobs.
