When kids went trick or treating all by themselves

Our neighborhood typically has every last kid combing the place for candy, adults out chatting on street corners, and neighbors greeting neighbors everywhere. It isn't just for the kids - it quickly becomes a neighborhood happening!

My sons used to weigh the loot extracted from our 8 square block neighborhood (area bounded by woods and major streets): typically 6-8 pounds! I turned them loose on their own as soon as the eldest turned seven (see "parents hanging around street corners", above). They went in kid packs from about third grade on.

Too bad too many people have gotten freaky about all sorts of stuff that either never happened or was the result of parents trying to kill their own kids.

What I have noticed: people import their grandkids from the suburbs to trick-or-treat our area, and many kids have their cousins, etc. in tow. Same thing when we lived in Arlington - people moved away, but came back because it was time to visit and their kids could walk between houses.

I grew up in a bountiful neighborhood for Halloween candy. This was long before so-called "fun sized" candy; many people gave out real full-sized candy bars and lots of other great stuff. However, some people did give out apples, little boxes of raisins, and other undesirables. Many people gave out little paper "trick-or-treat bags" that might contain some loose candy corn, other wrapped or unwrapped candy; sometimes even just popcorn!

After going out earlier in the day, my sisters and I would sort through our initial haul, separating the items that can be re-treated later in the day. Throngs of kids would come to the door, late into the night. When the supply of re-treatable items got really low, those little paper "trick-or-treat bags" could be refilled with anything! We never filled them with anything worse than a few raw vegetables, but the tamper-friendly bags fell out of fashion after other people put some very harmful tricks in them.

I grew up in a rural area; the only trick or treaters we ever got in the early 1980s was a couple of drunk teenagers who threw a beer bottle through our front window. Living in Roslindale, few people ventured up our steps, but a few blocks over, the street was blocked off and full of kids. Now, back in Westwood, I expect the usual roving bands of neighborhood kids and TP'd houses.

There never was such a thing as "razor apple day," that was always an urban legend and joke on SNL. Of course it is a "different time," but I think kids are safer and adults are having more fun with Halloween than ever. I don't think there is any need to lament some perceived lost innocence time, but rather to reject the fear-mongering that goes on in our media. I'm looking forward to Halloween night with the kids--not to protect them, but because it is fun to see them running from house to house and to chat with neighbors.

The phrase MY WIFE was posted in lower case..what the hell?

I lived in a suburban Hartford CT town until i was 8. Before we moved to New Hampshire in 1984, I remember it being a big deal. Like other have said, parents would stay at a distance and let us walk house to house. Then again, the neighborhood I lived in was very close nit. Mostly new families who moved in the neighborhood in the early 1970s when that community stopped being a summertime/vacation place, to a full time, year-round community (we were on a very large lake). And we all knew each other.

When we moved to New Hampshire in late 1984, it was vastly different. We lived in a very rural area, where houses are 1-2 miles apart, so no real door to door trick or treating. We had some places my parents would DRIVE us too, but for the door to door stuff, we went to a more populous neighborhood.

I've lived all around boston and the burbs so it really can vary from town to town to see what kids do for trick or treating. When I lived in Medford, we had a handful of kids that first year, and none after.

South End. None. The general rule was (after talking to parents) was most people waited on their steps with bowls of candy. If there was no person, and no light on, the kids were instructed not to go.

Revere. When I lived in Revere, the first year we didn't give out candy (again, no light on, no candy given), second year we did, ended up having to go to Walgreens at the end of the street to get more because we had so many kids. Same with third year there. Funny, musta been a lot of out of towners because we kept hearing "oh we're from so and so community, this neighborhood is great, we'll be back next year".

Chelsea. As many kids as there are in Chelsea, and how many I see on my street. Its amazing that kids DONT go door to door. The city pushes the kids down to the businesses on Broadway. I can walk out my front door and not see a soul, but go two streets away to Broadway and its mobbed with kids.

With that said, I also think because of helicopter parents and what not, many folks take their kids to the Malls and business districts now to be safe. Plus I know many communities have a "lit pumpkin" or "exterior lights on" rules. No pumpkin or porch light, don't knock.

Sigh.. days gone by..