For as long as I can remember, I have gone trick-or-treating. After all, Halloween is the best holiday of the year; the combination of spooky decorations, endless costume possibilities and free candy is unbeatable. Nothing will ever match the feeling of walking from door to door, always curious as to what new and exciting candy I can get at the next house. 

Last year as a junior was the first Halloween that I spent at home instead of trick-or-treating. I didn’t initially see anything wrong with going in high school, but my sophomore year, I knocked on one crabby lady’s door. She swung it open just to look at me in disgust and say, “Aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating? I think I should save most of my candy for the real kids.” 

Her statement made me feel a strong sense of shame, and the rest of my night was tainted as I worried I was now being judged by everyone passing by me. Even my candy didn’t taste as sweet.

There’s an unspoken assumption that kids will stop trick-or-treating at a certain point, but why? Is there some instant change that renders a child unable to enjoy free candy and a fun costume anymore at age 15 or 16? If there is, I suppose I missed the memo. 

Just because I’ve entered high school doesn’t mean I’ve outgrown childhood. My taste buds will never reject the sweetness of Halloween candy, nor will I ever reject an opportunity to dress up with a friend in a creative costume. Some people view teens as a loud and obnoxious nuisance, but the majority of high schoolers trying to trick-or-treat have no ill-intent. They just want to have the same fun that little kids get to have. 

As we grow up, we feel more and more pressure to throw ourselves into our academics as much as humanly possible, and our free time lessens greatly. This is the time when we would benefit from trick-or-treating the most, and it’s odd that people try to stop teenagers from having one night of harmless fun when there’s often more than enough candy for us to join in on the festivities. 

So keep this in mind this Halloween season: if someone tells you they’re going to trick-or-treat and you’re thinking of making a judgmental face or telling them to stop, it would be much better to just smile and let them enjoy their fun.