+
Parenting

Yes, I still take my teen trick-or-treating, costume and all

Childhood lasts such a short time, let them eat candy.

Halloween; trick-or-treating; teens; costumes
Photo by Clay LeConey on Unsplash

Yes, I still take my teen trick-or-treating, costume and all.

Every year people ask how old is too old for trick-or-treating. Maybe they're looking for their own cut-off on who to give candy to or maybe they're asking about their own kids. Halloween is just around the corner and my 14-year-old asked me to take him to get a costume for trick-or-treating, and I'm happy to do so. Mom groups are often encouraging people to give candy to the big kids too, and while I personally don't believe 14 is too old, I do know some people do.


My older son stopped trick-or-treating around 15 but he still walks with the family while we take the youngest out. If he decided that he wanted to dress up and go knock on doors, I wouldn't stand in his way. It's not because they need free candy, they don't. In fact, one year I was too exhausted and pregnant to take them out so I bought several bags of candy and dumped them in the middle of the bed so they could divvy it up. Trick-or-treating gives them a chance to just be kids.

Photo by Jeffrey Grospe on Unsplash

Trick-or-treating typically entails a pretty decent amount of exercise and a few hours of being unplugged and socializing with your family and others in the neighborhood. Teens are inundated with the news, social issues, popularity contests and, of course, the social media platforms they're getting all this information from, so unplugging is a good thing.

We don't have to use too much of our imagination to consider the trouble teens could be getting into on Halloween instead of dressing up like zombies and getting free candy. When I was a teenager, kids were sneaking into their parents' alcohol stash, getting drunk and egging people's houses. So when my nearly six-foot-tall teenager asks to come trick-or-treating with his 4-year-old brother, I will always eagerly say yes.

I'll buy the plague doctor costume or the creepy mask and fingerless gloves for a few hours of childhood. It's the one night a year they don't have to worry about lockdown drills or what achievements they want to attain, unless that achievement is getting candy. I hope that when neighborhoods see teenagers dressed up holding out their bag or pillow case that they ask them about their costume and if they saw the haunted house down the street. At the very least, I hope they wish them a good night without scolding them for being too old.

A radio station, Lite 98.7 WLZW asked its audience, "What's the age that kids should stop trick-or-treating?" The answers will comfort the hearts of parents that may have been concerned. Alyssa Flemming responded, "Whenever they want! I give huge handfuls to the teens that stop by, and I usually dump the last of the bucket into a teen's bag when I'm done for the night. I'd rather they be out being kids, and trick or treating than drinking or smoking!"

Renee Werner Laws replied to the radio station's question with, "I went out until I was 18. Now my youngest is 12 and I hate the thought of him wanting to ever stop. The world is awful, let the kids hold onto a piece of childhood as long as they can."

It seems that the overwhelming majority of commenters are excited for teens to show up at their door dressed for Halloween, and my kid will be one of them. Let kids be kids as long as possible, they only get one childhood.

Sponsored

ACUVUE launches a new campaign to inspire Gen Z to put down their phones and follow their vision

What will you create on your social media break? Share it at #MyVisionMySight.

True

If you’ve always lived in a world with social media, it can be tough to truly understand how it affects your life. One of the best ways to grasp its impact is to take a break to see what life is like without being tethered to your phone and distracted by a constant stream of notifications.

Knowing when to disconnect is becoming increasingly important as younger people are becoming aware of the adverse effects screen time can have on their eyes. According to Eyesafe Nielsen, adults are now spending 13-plus hours a day on their digital devices, a 35% increase from 2019.1. Many of us now spend more time staring at screens on a given day than we do sleeping which can impact our eye health.

Normally, you blink around 15 times per minute, however, focusing your eyes on computer screens or other digital displays have been shown to reduce your blink rate by up to 60%.2 Reduced blinking can destabilize your eyes’ tear film, causing dry, tired eyes and blurred vision.3

Keep ReadingShow less

Can we bring back some 50s fridge features, please?

There are very few things that would make people nostalgic for the 1950s. Sure, they had cool cars and pearl necklaces were a staple, but that time frame had its fair share of problems, even if "Grease" made it look dreamy. Whether you believe your life would've been way more interesting if you were Danny Zuko or not, most would agree their technology was...lacking.

All eras are "advanced" for their time, but imagine being dropped off in the 50s as someone from the year 2023. A recent post by Historic Vids on Twitter of a 1956 commercial advertising a refrigerator, however, has some people thinking that when it came to fridges, maybe they were living in the year 2056. I don't typically swoon over appliances, yet this one has me wondering where I can purchase a refrigerator like this.

Of course, there's no fancy touch screen that tells you the weather and asks how you'd like your ice cubed. It's got more important features that are actually practical.

Keep ReadingShow less

Two kids wearing backpacks walk to school together.

Over the past 40 years, a sea change has occurred in how kids get to school. Throughout most Western countries, an increasing number of children are driven to school instead of walking or taking a bike. In a new video called “Why did kids stop walking to school?” About Here’s founder, Uytae Lee, cites the U.S. Department of Transportation statistic that in 1969, 48% of kids walked or biked to school, and that number has plummeted to just 11%.

Uytae Lee is an urban planner and videographer passionate about sharing stories about our cities. The video was produced in partnership with TransLink, Metro Vancouver's regional transportation authority.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

'Bluey' creators have perfect response after 'Exercise' episode sparks concern from parents

Several claimed the episode perpetuated harmful messages about exercise and body weight.

@laceyjadechristie/TikTok

Bandit, Bluey's dad, laments his weight and says he needs to exercise.

The Australian kids' cartoon “Bluey” is pretty universally loved by young and old audiences alike. People appreciate the show’s unique way of blending wholesome humor with mundane or even difficult situations in a way that feels both mature and whimsical.

On a recent “Bluey” episode titled “Exercise,” Bluey’s father, Bandit, becomes disappointed after stepping on the bathroom scale, grabbing his tummy and declaring he needs to start exercising.

"Oh man...I just need to do some exercise," Bandit laments.

"Tell me about it," Bluey's mother, Chilli, chimes in before stepping on the scale herself and shares a similar reaction to her own numbers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Canva

The innovative procedure is performed in utero and guided by ultrasound.

Fetal surgery is undoubtedly a complicated and delicate procedure, with both physical and ethical implications. It’s rarely even an option for treatment, only being done for a select number of conditions and only for pregnant women who meet certain criteria.

And still, doctors at two Boston hospitals stepped forward to repair a malformed blood vessel in a baby girl’s brain two days before she was born, succeeding in the first ever surgery of its kind.

The baby, named Denver Coleman, suffered from vein of Galen malformation (VOGM), a rare abnormality where blood vessels connect directly to veins rather than capillaries, affecting the blood vessels’ ability to carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the brain. The resulting surge of blood pressure can lead to major health issues like congestive heart failure, losing brain tissue or an enlarged head.
Keep ReadingShow less
Family

Parents see their lives in hilariously relatable end-of-school-year 'Maycember' parody

The Earth, Wind & Fire "September" parody is a hit with harried parents.

"Maycember"—busy like December but without the fun holidays.

For parents of school-aged kids, May is absolute mayhem and there are very few ways around it. May is the culmination of everything—concerts, recitals, award ceremonies, finals, end-of-school-year picnics, spring sports and a dozen other things that seem to sneak up on you until one day you look at your calendar for the month and weep.

Oh, and by the way, have you signed your kids up for summer camps yet?

May is just…a lot. It's akin to the busyness of the December holiday season, but without all the pretty lights and holiday spirit to carry you through it.

In their signature style, The Holderness Family has captured the reality of "Maycember" in a video parody of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September." The Holdernesses have brought us many funny and relatable videos about a range of realities, from people's mid-pandemic Wordle obsession to GenX welcoming millennials to the over-40 club, and now they've got their fingers on the pulse of parents pulling their hair out with end-of-school-year scheduling.

Check out "Maycember":

No wonder they put Mother's Day in May. (Although it's a little hard to enjoy it when you're up to your eyeballs in all the things.)

Judging by the comments, they hit the nail on the head.

"Oh hi there, I see you made a documentary about my life right now! 🤪"

"Great video. Plus, all of the spring yard chores. When is there time for pickleball?"

"Yep facts! 💯! Everything is true and accurate scary accurate. Thanks for the camp reminder 😁"

"The BEST one yet! I didn't know if I should laugh or cry....maybe a little of both. Good to know our family isn't going thru this alone! POWER TO THE PARENTS!!! (and teachers....thanks for all you do!)"

"My kids are grown and have moved out but oh my goodness do I remember the month of May all through their school years. Everything is packed into that one month. I always remember how busy we were. There are days I don’t miss it but there are days that I do! Well done!"

Hang in there, parents. May may be mayhem, but it'll be over soon. (And seriously, get on those summer camps now if you haven't yet. Those things fill up in a blink.)

A woman expresses her frustrations with her partner in a therapist's office.

When learning a new language, one of the most challenging things is picking up figures of speech, or idioms. The big reason is that a lot of them don’t make sense.

Aaron Alon had a lot of fun with funny idioms from around the globe, including 70 from 28 different languages, in a video called "Communication Problems.” Alon is an award-winning composer, writer, director, filmmaker and teacher who shares his talents on his YouTube channel.

The video features a couple sharing their relationship problems with a therapist while speaking in idioms from other countries in American English. While the couple talks in incomprehensible expressions, their approximate English meanings and the country from which they originate are shown in the subtitles.

Keep ReadingShow less