OP has not said if she is leaving out candy. If OP does not leave out anything then yes its incredibly RUDE.

OP- whats the deal why wont you say if you are leaving candy out? Freeloading in yout neighborhood I am sure is frowned upon.

I think it's rude to not leave a bowl. Even if you have to replace a dollar store bowl every year.

DD is still too young to trick or treat, but for years we have been leaving out candy instead of answering the door because we have two boisterous dogs who will go nuts every time the door rings, whether or not they are shut up in a room or just out with us. It honestly never occurred to me that we were being rude -- a little non-spirited, maybe, but jeez, the candy is there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op - I feel like some one is posting over and over being a jerk.

Go, have fun, leave a bowl. Don't over think it.

+1 It kind of sounds like there is a teenager or mentally off person posting over and over.

+10000

Some candy-crazed individual

We usually go to a friend's neighborhood. We left a bowl the first year, but we returned to a bowl that was overturned and thrown in the yard and our table kicked over. So we thought we were being naive by leaving a bowl. Now we don't leave anything and turn out the lights. Our neighborhood is not that nice. Lots of loser teenagers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Leaving a bowl is stupid. The first jerk will take all of it and there will be nothing else for the other visitors.

I totally agree.
Never seen anyone leave a bowl.

Really? I remember this from trick or treating as a kid, and I've seen it in our neighborhood. Nobody's taken the whole bowl around here!

OP, we all went out for about 20 minutes last year as a family - that was long enough for our youngest to be part of it and to satisfy his big sister, who wanted all of us to go out. My husband took the baby home and passed out candy until I got home, and then we switched. We had a bowl out while we were gone, and we'll do it again this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, I hope your whole neighborhood is filled with parents roaming around with their kids, and no one home to give out candy anywhere. That would be awesome. What a precious memory, and your dc's first lesson into the concept of "free riders." Go for it, and report back and let us know how it goes.

Exactly

Wow. You guys are really crazy. Some people really over think this.

My mom left a bowl out when we were young and she took us trick or treating. I certainly never got the message to be a "free rider". Bizarre.

Just leave out a bowl of candy with a sign that says "take one".

OP there must have been a troll spewing all the hate here. It would never occur to me that there was anything wrong with parents taking their young children trick or treating and making their house a help-yourself spot while they're gone. We always do that, so do many of our neighbors, and believe me my Halloween-obsessed kids could care less. They are all about the candy, and the rare chance to be roaming the neighborhood under the cover of night, and seeing all their friends along the way. Nothing personal, but they could truly care less about the response of the grow ups who may or may not open the door.

The only rude behavior I've seen on Halloween are the neighbors who literally turn out the lights and pretend not to be home (why? We don't have many kids around here, and a bag of candy is 2.99 at CVS) and the family who trick-or-treats with their kids and didn't leave anything at their own door. And even that kind of stuff just merits a shrug, but outrage.

Little ones usually go out super early and don't stay out long anyway. We'll go out at 6 as a family with a preschooler and a a toddler. We'll leave a bowl, and be back by 6:30 to hand out candy to elementary aged kids.

As for "what if everyone did it," there are lots of houses with older kids, no kids, or kids who go out later. Unless everyone on your block has kids your kids' age, even if everyone did this there would be plenty of houses for kids to visit all evening.

Definitely a troll on this thread.

Do what you want. Children will survive with one less piece of candy. I stayed home last year and dh took the kids out and I felt so lonely!

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am not understanding what is so great about being with your family the entire time, I have never been with my dh and dd when they go trick or treating. Just let it go, op, and let your dh have this special time with the kids, and, I'd you only get 3-3 trick-or-treaters, well, relax and enjoy your found "alone time!"

Agree.
That's been the name of the game in our house for many years.

I guess I am not understanding what is so great about being with your family the entire time, I have never been with my dh and dd when they go trick or treating. Just let it go, op, and let your dh have this special time with the kids, and, I'd you only get 3-3 trick-or-treaters, well, relax and enjoy your found "alone time!"

Well, as a mom of two who will be trick or treating with both while the house is unattended and with (gasp!) no candy sitting out, I say do whatever you have/want to do. It's really not about what other people want you to do.
The only thing I would consider rude is for you not to hand out candy at all, both before and after going trick or treating. But even then, I would say you can make the choice to be rude, if you want.

By the way, I do not leave a bowl sitting out because last year I did and, when I got back, all the candy was gone, along with my bowl.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does seem a little self-centered to me. There are two aspects to Halloween: sending your kids round to the neighbors, for candy, and giving candy to those same neighbors, kids when they come to your house. It seems to me that you fail to "uphold" part two if both parents do part two. Even if you've leave a bowl out. Because you are demonstrating by your choice that you'd rather see your own child get candy from others than extend the same experience to others' children.

Only exception would be single parents.

This is OP here - i mentioned earlier that we dont get many trick-or-treaters. Maybe 5 all night long We would be home with our little kids before the last 2 of the 5 even arrived at our doorstep. If we had lots of trick-or-treaters i could see it being a ton of fun, and also might feel more obligation.

For 3 trick-or-treaters you are really overthinking this. Enjoy the time as a family with your toddlers!!!