One of the most memorable parts of my childhood was dressing up in all kinds of costumes with my friends and trick-or-treating for candy around my neighborhood on Halloween. 

As a teenager, I miss the fun of running door to door and counting pieces of candy on the curb of whatever house we were at with my friends after a long night of collecting. But teenagers who trick or treat are widely frowned upon by the older generations handing out the candy and there’s no good reasonable explanation why. 

Last year, I walked around my neighborhood with my cousins and neighbors, excited to hang out and enjoy the holiday. A few houses in, we walked up to a house at the end of our street and an older woman came out of her house and asked me, “Aren’t you all a little old to be trick or treating?”

My barely fourteen-year-old heart sank to my feet. While we could be out doing drugs or at a party way too late, my friends and I decided to walk around and enjoy a spooky holiday that celebrates our neighborhood community. 

Every house we went to, people asked our ages, grades or where our little siblings were, while some even refused to give us candy. Every house seemed to be more and more against us teenagers having some innocent fun. 

Why couldn’t they treat us like any other kid and give us a couple of the fun sized candy bars we so desperately craved? What’s so wrong with teenagers trick-or-treating?

The reason we’re treated this way is our reputation. Although there are plenty of teenagers who enjoy planning costumes and going out with their friends on Halloween, there are also many who snatch as much candy that will fit in their pillowcases and are simply up to no good.

 These teens are the reason people handing out candy get a bad taste in their mouth when they see us walk by. The ones that wear multiple costumes to get candy twice and pour all of the “Take One” bowls into their bags stick in the minds of the candy holders, giving teens a bad reputation. The sad truth is, many teens aren’t like this, but movies that parents and older people see where the teens are the bad guys are all they go off of. It sucks to be a normal teen on Halloween when you’re taking around a younger sibling and give up their own night of fun and get nothing out of it. 

With Halloween coming up, teenagers need to remember that trick-or-treating is fun, but to do it responsibly. Dress in your costume, go out with friends, collect that candy, but do it with all good intentions, and safely. If you go trick-or-treating to steal candy and be a jerk, simply do not go. Allow everyone to enjoy this holiday of fun and community, and go get your candy from Target.