Weaning our babies off of bottles or thumb-sucking makes sense because of the lasting dental issues from hanging on too long. Kids grow out of training wheels, strollers and car seats, but they never grow too old for trick or treating. Time and again, I hear my kids’ friends say their parents won’t let me go, believing they’re “too old” for tradition. To this I ask, do we ever grow out of enjoying free stuff?

Imagine if there was a holiday just for adults where we went door to door, yelling “save or spend” and a stranger dropped a roll of toilet paper, a Tide Pod or toothpaste in our pillowcase. We would gleefully skip to the next house. Instead of being pumped over the houses handing out full-size candy, we’d celebrate the house sharing BOGO coupons. Magical. 

Costco packs the aisles everyday with folks sauntering around for the free samples. I’ve witnessed many a mother forcing her child to join the queue to add another free pack of vitamins or sweets. After studying marketing in school, you learn quickly about the Psychology of Free, drawing customers in by giving something for nothing. As Coco Chanel said, “The best things in life are free.”

Be honest, how long did you make your 14-year-old eat off the kid’s menu? How many times did you claim your teen was “under 12” to get that discounted ticket? Do you remember all the events you attended just to get in on the free giveaway? Adults never grow out of wanting free stuff; why do we expect our kids to sit out? Particularly on the one night a year where we hand out the very thing they’re built to crave? Clearly Halloween is meant for bigger kids, what 5-year-old threatens a homeowner with a trick? It only holds up when a teen says it.

My mom taught at our neighborhood school and students long graduated from her fourth-grade class still came to our door every Halloween. They knew Mrs. Sanders would never turn a kid away, no matter how old. Even now, she appreciates the kids willing to brave the bitter Northern Utah air to run door to door, hoping for a treat instead of admonishment. She understood those kids working hard, running to get their free fix of candy too busy and tired for midnight mischief. 

Even in my first year as a Snow College Badger, my roommates and I planned a night of trick-or-treating through the town of Mapleton. We felt it was important to build up our stock of chocolate for our freshman 15. Happy to have trick-or-treaters, most of the residents smiled as they handed over bountiful handfuls of candy to a grateful group. But one older woman complained we were “too old” so no candy paired with a shooing. The miser then turned to the small child wearing a hood tied tightly around her head. She smiled sweetly and exclaimed how cute the girl was while handing over the loot. The child titled her head and smiled shyly, nodding her head in agreement. Just as soon as the front door was shut, my roommate Jordan stood up laughing, proclaiming how sweet she was. At the perfect moment, Jordan had kneeled down to tie her shoe, making her look like a petite kid. Being the nice girls we were, we skipped the trick, but we’ve laughed about that moment ever since.

We were 18-year-old college students, saving pennies for books and toothpaste, so a night of free candy wasn’t wasted on us. There was no more grateful group than starving students.

Considering Halloween is a 2,000-year-old holiday based on death and spirits, it seems more appropriate to give candy to teenagers over the toddler in her princess dress. It’s refreshing to see our older children who text and meme all day, running and playing together, practicing those social skills we harp about. 

Some traditions we just don’t grow out of, no matter how “civilized” we become. I still love getting Christmas presents, throwing birthday parties, zipping into a cozy onesie pajama and being swaddled in a weighted blanket. Adults line up for giveaways and raffles, we just call it enter to win instead of trick or treat. We use social media to enter, tagging our friends to up our chances. We’re so lazy now that we don’t even go door to door for free stuff, but we expect our kids to stop running for candy.

This Halloween, before you turn away “the big kids,” remember they’re still just kids who want to make lifelong memories. They’re out in the community, meeting neighbors and spending time together. Soon they’ll be grown, excited over the rebate on their new dishwasher instead of that rare full-size candy bar.

The other option is being the crotchety old lady who can’t bear the thought of a kid getting a piece of candy worth 10 cents, for free. If you do turn away a teen, better hope there is no trick to the lack of treat. If you are a big kid, mom, dad or crotchety old lady, I’ll have a full-size candy bar with your age on it if you decide to trick or treat.