Costumes and Candy and Big Kids, Oh My!

Halloween for the Older Set

By Kelly Burgess

Remember the days when your little princess wanted to dress like a princess for Halloween, and the boys were football players, dinosaurs and robots? Now they're not so little anymore, but even preteens and teens love the excitement and fun of Halloween. In my neighborhood, it's not unusual for boys taller than me to huskily ask me for a "trick-or-treat" while holding out an already stuffed pillowcase. Some neighbors are critical, but I don't mind. Let them have fun while they can. In fact, I always give them extra candy; I figure they'll burn it off.

Parenting expert Tom McMahon agrees. McMahon, founder of Kid Tips and author of Teen Tips A Practical Survival Guide for Parents with Kids 11-19 (Pocket; rev. update edition, 2003), says according to his daughters, ages 17 and 20, Halloween is all about the candy and hanging out with friends.

"Only Halloween can transform a quiet, mid-week, mostly homework kind of night into a party atmosphere usually reserved for weekends," he says. "My daughters and their friends know how to work the streets for candy, often coming home after 10 p.m. with a full pillowcase. Most teachers don't expect much from their sugar-filled students the day after Halloween. And don't forget the costumes. The drama students lead the pack on this subject."

By the time they're about 12 or so, most older kids are done with the "kid" costumes and want things that are either funny or reflect pop culture. This can make it more difficult to come up with acceptable costume ideas, as I've discovered with my three teens. Fortunately, there's the Internet. Last year I hit on the site Costume Idea Zone and found dozens of simple, inexpensive ideas. The one we chose, which involved dressing my 12-year-old as the Subway spokesman "Jared" cost only about $15.00 (which included lunch for two at Subway and a pair of 52" waist pants from the thrift store) and won him first prize at a Halloween party.

Kate Regan, owner of the Costume Idea Zone, says they started as a one-page site in 1997 with 12 costume ideas and have grown so much in popularity that they now offer more than 2,000. There are also a lot of good homemade costume ideas at Robin's FYI

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