Moms Talk: How Does Your Family Handle Growing Kids And Halloween?

Each week, your Alpharetta-Milton Moms Council gets questions emailed to them by readers like you. We then get together and discuss the question, give our answers and open up the chat with the readers of Patch. We hope you pipe in with your comments by adding them at the bottom of the page in the comments section.

With Halloween less than a week away, it brings up the topic for today's question.

How does your family handle Halloween?
How old is too old to go trick or treating? Do you let your older kids go out without an adult? Do you monitor the candy intake? How does trick or treating and candy consumption after work for you guys?

A: I actually love Halloween, but my husband isn't a fan of it so it is a big compromise in our house.  The rules for Halloween are very simple for my girls:

1. No scary costume, and if you aren't allowed to wear that style during the day you aren't allowed at Halloween (short skirts, inappropriate costumes)
2. No eating any candy until my husband and I go through it.  After that they are allowed to keep 15 pieces each and the rest we donate to our preschool or my husband takes it to the office.  They get 1 piece after dinner as a reward for eating all their dinner.
3. They go trick or treating with me.  They can ask friends to come along, but they are not allowed to go with another adult.
4. Personally if they are a teenager they won't be trick or treating.  I personally think they would be to old to do it.  

It's a fun holiday to be a child, or have one but it is also a very dangerous night as well.  Happy Halloween! -Lori Salata, mom of 2

A: I love Halloween. I think it a fun holiday for all ages to enjoy. I personally do not mind at all when teens go trick or treating, I think it is all in good fun.

I go through all of the candy before the kids can eat any and we only go trick or treating within our own neighborhood. But, once it has been checked, the kids are allowed to eat as much as they want on Halloween. The next day they are allowed to do it as well. But, after that, it goes into a community bowl for the whole family. They will get a piece in their lunch, they can have it after dinner or as a special treat. They are not allowed to keep it as their own or take it to their room.

My kids are still too young to go out alone but if they were older, I would let them go but only if they stayed in our neighborhood. I say it now, but reserve the right to change my mind when my kids are older!Tammy Bester, mom of 3