Tweens want their independence- how ready are you both?
Want to hear something absolutely hilarious? So funny that it gave us all a good laugh and I still chuckle thinking about it. Our tweens have asked us if they could go trick-or-treating alone this year! As our amiga Bohemian Babushka would say, “Ju so foni!”
Cristy, my sister and I had a good laugh when Olivia, Cristy’s tween, asked her. Even a “Tia” (without children) recognizes that its absolutely out of the question. After the laughter died down, Olivia followed it up with her own rationale, “Yeah, my Abuela would definitely never let me!”
When Olivia pulled the “Abuela card” I had to stop and think. Are we upholding an outdated tradition and saying no because we weren’t allowed?
I was never allowed to go trick-or-treating by myself. My Abuela Yeya who loved Halloween would take us around the neighborhood. While she was visitando con los vecinos, we stuffed our bags with candy. I never questioned her presence. So why does my daughter?
Are we just being overprotective? Is it possible to be overprotective? Not in my world so lets move on!
Or are we just saying no because we have legitimate safety concerns? Tricky question this is.
Do I believe my daughter is old enough to go down the block with two of her friends and trick or treat?
Well sure, I know most of our neighbors and would trust her to make good judgements. I can’t secretly watch from the front yard. Heck, it is Halloween you never know what kinds of scary things are lurking.
In the end, the Abuelas win again and we’ll be closely monitoring all trick-or-treating activity! What do you think? Are your tweens allowed to go trick-or-treating alone? Are we being overprotective?
Let’s talk.. Hablamos.
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As a mother of twin tweens in 2011 and an active Girl Scout Troop leader, Cristy realized there was a need to develop bilingual digital content and foster a community facing the challenges of raising kids after first grade. That year she founded and remains co-Publisher of Los Tweens & Teens, to support multicultural parents and mentors with content related to raising Gen Z- tweens & teens ages 7-18. Through the Los Tweens & Teens LIVE events such as Teens & Me – the growing team aims to provide our community with essential resources from chats with therapists to battle anxiety and bullying, to understanding social media and technology.