Send your teens out Trick or Treating, Please.

I miss them.

I miss the little baby ballerinas, and princess, and the Captain Featherwords and Thomas the Tank Engines, and even Elvis. These are some of the costumes my kids wore when they were little.

Now, when they dress up, if they dress up, they are Jim from The Office, or a Witch or some influencer or meme that I don’t know anything about.

Oh, how I miss the little bitty Pumpkins that they both were for their first Halloween! I carefully sewed that costume for them when I had to carry them Trick or Treating, proudly showing them and my handiwork off.

There is no more trick or treating for me. Last year was the last year for us. This year my boy is working, and my daughter is home, handing out candy if we get any trick or treaters at all. Last year, we didn’t.

Our town does a Trick or Trunk and it seems like people take that way out. It makes it easier for parents, sure, but it takes away from the fun of walking through neighborhoods. Those of us who aren’t at that crazy free for all in the center of our rural town miss the trick or treaters. Those who trudge up and down our dark street knocking on doors for candy never failed to make me smile, every time. I loved the little kids, the middle ones but somehow, I loved most the oldest ones the most

The teens who walk around with pillowcases and sheepish grins and usually haphazardly thrown together costumes as they band together and hold onto the last bit of childhood firmly- they are my favorite. They gri onto it tightly with the same hand they hold onto a pillowcase stuffed with candy.

They remind me of how FAST it all goes. The slide from Thomas to Jim is so quick – there is no one to watch dress up anymore- no more trick or treating,

My Halloween work here is done- but I have to ask: Is that the trick, or the treat?

So, please, when you're dressing up your middle-schoolers and arranging car pools, please encourage your older kids to go out, too. Tell them that it's okay to still be a kid sometimes and to enjoy it, every single second of it.

I'll bet when you go to take their Reeces, they'll surprise you, and hand them to you first.