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.
In the classic film, Meet Me in St. Louis, Halloween in the early 20th century is depicted. The kids in town, all without supervision, seemed far less interested in treats and far more interested in the dastardly deeds they were going to participate in. Some of those deeds were dastardly ingenious.
We've come a long way since then. It used to be understood that it was okay to let kids run amuck for an evening, committing minor acts of destruction. It was part of the growing up experience. Something for adults to chuckle about when they thought of their own Halloween exploits.
But now Halloween is totally commercialized, totally safe--and totally boring. Being bad back then inspired a sort of creativity. But now, it's not only too risky to allow our kids to explore such things; it's dangerous. They could have criminal charges filed against them for the same things that used to be tolerated in a safer environment.
Unfortunately, we don't live in the same safe world that existed a hundred years ago or even fifty years ago. The world was so innocent back then that we didn't worry about letting our kids run off by themselves to misbehave. In fact, adults chuckled about their own Halloween activities as a child.
Now we have to inspect the treats for anything tampered because someone really does want to hurt our children. Homemade treats aren't acceptable; there is too much chance of a creep adding something evil inside. Kids are truly in danger of getting hurt or kidnapped.
I'm really hoping for a less scary world when I hope for a scary Halloween. I want a return to times of old where we allowed kids to be mischievous and take a break from being good for one evening. The world back then was such a better, safer place where a child could really be a child. - 16003
In the classic film, Meet Me in St. Louis, Halloween in the early 20th century is depicted. The kids in town, all without supervision, seemed far less interested in treats and far more interested in the dastardly deeds they were going to participate in. Some of those deeds were dastardly ingenious.
We've come a long way since then. It used to be understood that it was okay to let kids run amuck for an evening, committing minor acts of destruction. It was part of the growing up experience. Something for adults to chuckle about when they thought of their own Halloween exploits.
But now Halloween is totally commercialized, totally safe--and totally boring. Being bad back then inspired a sort of creativity. But now, it's not only too risky to allow our kids to explore such things; it's dangerous. They could have criminal charges filed against them for the same things that used to be tolerated in a safer environment.
Unfortunately, we don't live in the same safe world that existed a hundred years ago or even fifty years ago. The world was so innocent back then that we didn't worry about letting our kids run off by themselves to misbehave. In fact, adults chuckled about their own Halloween activities as a child.
Now we have to inspect the treats for anything tampered because someone really does want to hurt our children. Homemade treats aren't acceptable; there is too much chance of a creep adding something evil inside. Kids are truly in danger of getting hurt or kidnapped.
I'm really hoping for a less scary world when I hope for a scary Halloween. I want a return to times of old where we allowed kids to be mischievous and take a break from being good for one evening. The world back then was such a better, safer place where a child could really be a child. - 16003
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 with a particular interest in nursing jobs and travel nursing jobs.
