Is “ding dong ditching” a rite of passage? And would you be mad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a wholesome rite of passage that most of us indulged in a little bit. Unfortunately in the age of paranoia, Ring Cams, and NextDoor fanatics, I told my teens not to do it. Someone is going to call the cops, or worse, shoot you. We’ve had multiple news stories of psychos shooting people that were knocking on their door or turned into their driveway.

Sadly ding dong ditch has to go to the incinerator along with prank phone calls and flaming bags of dog sh*t on the doorstep of the biggest AH in the neighborhood.

A wholesome rite of passage unto the Brotherhood of Morons?

You sound fun.

[Anonymous]

Sure mistakes happen.
Props to your daughter for realizing her behavior was wrong.
And no being a jerk to other people is not a rite of passage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never did it because it's not funny. I mean, what is the joke? You made the dog bark haha? Pitiful.

I think it's fairly benign in that you aren't hurting anyone. Most people don't answer their doors now anyway. But it's dumb, plus you should assume you'll be caught on camera.

So, you were born 40 year old already. Your poor parents, they thought they were having a fun child that would mature with time. But they had a middle aged curmudgeon

LOL, my parents know what jokes are so no, they didn't hope I doorbell ditched.

Imagine a comedian trying to explain to a confused audience. "See, it's funny because he answered the door for no reason...." [crickets]

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what you are asking. It is clearly an annoying thing to do, and you should discourage it, but I assume you already knew that.

[Anonymous]

No parent of a black child would be asking this. I am white, but my son is not, and I would be immediately worried for his safety if I knew he was engaging in this behavior. Who knows how people might react?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who answers the doorbell in 2024?

This. Most people won’t even bothering getting up to answer the door anyhow. I don’t think it is a “right of passage” but I also don’t think it is a big deal.

[Anonymous]

My oldest teen son and his friends were definitely doing this to each other when they were in the 2nd-4th grade years. It was a popular activity of boys on our street and mostly a couple would get together and do it to another friend. This was before most people had ring doorbells. None of them were doing this in middle school.

My youngest is in middle school and never did any of this, but she’s a girl, her friends wouldn’t have found this funny and grew up with ring doorbells. They like to prank call eachother, their friends, while hiding caller id, like we did in the 80s. I can’t believe they answer. It’s a popular sleepover activity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No parent of a black child would be asking this. I am white, but my son is not, and I would be immediately worried for his safety if I knew he was engaging in this behavior. Who knows how people might react?

Not all black people are the same. The child that taught my child to play was black. It was a mixed race friend group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our neighborhood kids did this but they were too young to remember to ditch. Do they said hi then ran. Lol.

That's kinda cute

It was adorable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who answers the doorbell in 2024?

This. Most people won’t even bothering getting up to answer the door anyhow. I don’t think it is a “right of passage” but I also don’t think it is a big deal.

Not answering doesn’t negate the effects of the rudeness with dogs and little ones. Also, the elderly are probably most likely to answer.

[Anonymous]

I was outside at Halloween waiting to hand out candy, and a bunch of 5th or 6th graders rang the doorbell next door and one said, "If they don't answer, let's ding dong ditch." I laughed and thought, well yeah, you have to leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No parent of a black child would be asking this. I am white, but my son is not, and I would be immediately worried for his safety if I knew he was engaging in this behavior. Who knows how people might react?

Not all black people are the same. The child that taught my child to play was black. It was a mixed race friend group.

No they didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No parent of a black child would be asking this. I am white, but my son is not, and I would be immediately worried for his safety if I knew he was engaging in this behavior. Who knows how people might react?

True but your biracial son isn't black

[Anonymous]

I don’t think this is much of a thing anymore now that everyone has cameras and ring doorbells.

As far as coming of age rebellions activities go, I think it’s pretty tame. Personally, I would not care if someone doorbell ditched at my house. Better than a solicitor

[Anonymous]

It’s stupid, and yeah a neighbor dropping an F bomb about it should be expected, but I wouldn’t be super mad about it. I also wouldn’t tell my kid they could (I’m surprised they did? Kids can’t do anything without parent input anymore lol?)