Trick or Treat

By: Brandon Milster

As everyone is in the final stages of getting costumes and preparing for Halloween, I can’t help but think about how much different things were when I was a kid getting ready to go trick-or-treating in my neighborhood. I remember that my parents used to let me go out with my friends that lived close by to walk from door-to-door to collect our Halloween loot. There was no real concern that there were any dangers out in the night or that we would not return by our relatively early curfew. These days, however, I see that more and more kids are sent to local business districts, malls, or churches to trick-or-treat, due to their parents’ growing concern of danger in their neighborhoods. Even my parents have told me that each year fewer and fewer children knock at their door. What is wrong with society these days? Why can’t kids feel safe in their own neighborhoods after dark? Why do we continue to let our streets become dangerous to our children? Now I know there are still places like those I grew up in, but I also know they are becoming fewer and farther between. Just some food for thought people…
Finally, parents don’t be lured into the commercialized Halloween get-ups, which now can cost up to $100. Be creative and make your own!