When children are young, they are taught not to talk to, take candy from, or have anything to do with strangers. Parents try to protect them from getting kidnapped, harmed, or emotionally damaged. These guidelines are drilled into their malleable minds on a regular basis, hopefully. Yet, on Halloween, all rules are thrown out the window. What are we really teaching children?

On one night of the year, little children are dressed up in cute to death-promoting costumes and told to go door-to-door to collect treats. FROM STRANGERS! Think about it. “Go to the stranger’s door, Billy, knock and wait for them to come and give you snacks. But, you must say ‘trick or treat’.” (as if the child would actually know what to do if someone asked for a trick). How do these poor kids keep the rules straight?

Of course, many parents walk with their small children, prodding them along while teaching them the ropes. The tiniest of trick-or-treaters are clearly stumped by the whole process. Perhaps they are trying to figure out why their parents are making them go against everything they’ve ever been told.

Most will be nugged to the door by a parent, who is the main entity looking forward to candy at the end of the night. Few of these little darlings actually do the knocking, leaving the task to the eager parent. Usually, the door opens and the child is confused, staring blankly at the mortal being before them. ‘What was it that I’m supposed to do next?’ many are thinking. Those who can’t think of task #2 fall back, perhaps in tears, to their parent. The whole process has scarred them for the evening. Those whose feet have frozen to the ground are prodded along, still, by their parental unit. “Say trick or treat”, they are told. No response. Just vacant gazes at the tall specimen before them. “Say trick or treat!” Nothing. Just a small mind working feverishly to process the whole scene.

I can’t help but wonder what these tiny children would say if they could get the words out. Would they question why their loving parent would force them into an itchy costume just to take pictures, show them off, and force them to fraternize with the enemy? Perhaps they would point out the fact that it makes no sense to walk from house to house just to get candy that you could easily buy at the store in bulk. Yet, maybe there is very little being devised other than a plan of escape. I cannot say. It has been too many years for me to remember those early days. I just can’t help but feel sorry for some of these rug rats.

The most befuddled children never speak a word. The more “with-it” kids mimick others and hold out their bags to receive the candy they have been prepped to receive. On the other hand, some continue to give looks of anxiety at the fact that someone would want to put something into their bag or bucket. They pull the bag closer to their tiny bodies until they are forced (by those parents again) to hold it out. They act as if a granade is going to be placed into the container only to discover it is just a small portion of candy. All fear melts away. If you’re lucky, they give you a forced smile and a monotone “tank ewww” for being part of the puzzling experience with them. Then, they go to the next house of horror to start again.

Poor kids. I suppose we must all go through this initiation. It has become part of life these days. I can only hope that the scars of trick-or-treating don’t last as long as those chalky Necco wafers or orange peanut “marshmallows”, which nobody ever touches yet still find hard to throw away. After all, it’s still candy.

To those who passed their first test this year, HIGH FIVE. I’m proud you made it. Now, go and take back your candy from those older people you call mommy and dad.