Trick-No-Treat

I grew up in Milwaukee - a very urban area. We never trick-or-treated on Halloween, unless it fell on a Saturday (or was it Sunday?). Our community had trick-or-treating in the daylight hours, due to safety, I imagine. Hospitals provided the free service of x-raying the candy bags, so children didn't get razor blades or other dangerous objects in their candy. Lovely,...I know. But, that's the environment I grew up in.

My kids can't even imagine what that is like. (Neither can my hubby!) They can't believe I had to endure such a thing! They've grown up in communities where they trick-or-treat on Halloween night, in the dark...that's half the fun!

This year, at 14-1/2 and 16 years of age, they are too old to trick-or-treat (although, my 16-year old son's friend Leah showed up at the door in her costume...kids!)...my kids' mean parents won't let them scam the neighbors for candy at this age. I take a college course on Monday nights, so my usual job of handing out the trick-or-treat candy (and keeping Angel from going ballistic when the doorbell rings...an impossible job) fell to them. Our first (very early) trick-or-treater (they were cheating...it was still daylight) came around 5:30. I had just answered the phone - it was my sister, Deanna. I handed Bridgette the huge stainless steel bowl of mini-Snicker's bars with a warning of "No snitching!" You see, Bridgette had helped me grocery shop earlier in the week. I do couponing, so she had a list, and I had a list. She was supposed to purchase 3 bags of Snickers and use this coupon to get $1.50 off 3 bags. She only purchased 1 bag, and was unable to use the coupon. She insisted I only put 1 bag on the list (until I showed her the list, where I had written "3" on it.) Luckily, I had been hoarding candy bars for a few weeks, anticipating trick-or-treat (isn't that what couponing is all about?). ;) But, I had warned her not to sneak any Snickers before I took this call...since we were 2 bags short. Apparently, she felt guilty enough about messing up on the coupon to keep her from snitching.
She asked me how many she should hand the trick-or-treaters. By this time, I was already trying to talk on the phone (a very important conversation) to my sister. The doorbell was ringing, the dog was yipping, my daughter was bugging me...I was a little short. "Three!" I just blurted out. (Can't she just decide for herself? Sheesh! We have this huge stainless steel bowl brimming with Snickers...we don't get a whole bunch of trick-or-treaters...)
Well, I got home from my class at around 9pm. Bridgette met me at the door. "Can I have a candy bar now?" I just burst out laughing. She is my obedient child. She spent the whole night, not snitching one candy bar. I went downstairs and told Mike. He told me she was policing the candy all night. She gave Mike and Aaron a hard time about snitching, telling them they could only have one. Aaron told me that when his friend Leah came to the door, she only let her take three candies...even though they only had four trick-or-treaters all night, and we had a whole bowl-full of candy! Now, there's a stickler for rules!
I think she would be a good school-marm...or police officer...