Children are now getting sent to jail for trick-or-treating.
That's not a joke. (Luckily. That would be a terrible joke. There's no set-up. Or is there no punchline...?)
According to KUTV, a town in Virginia has now made it illegal for kids over 12 to go trick-or-treating. The law allows for a maximum fine of $100 as well as 6 months of jail time.
Seriously?!
Justin Worsham of The Dad Podcast thinks the law is stupid, but he does have an age cut-off for tick-or-treaters.
"The reality of this is that it is unenforceable. Kids under 12 don’t have to carry ID. I suppose they could site them and they could be forced to provide a birth certificate, but if the demographics of my neighborhood on All Hallow’s Eve is any indication of how things could be in Virginia, then that would flood the taxpayers with the expense of court hearings. Especially since the crime could come with a 6 month jail sentence.
Should a kid older than 12 be trick-or-treating? I think the real bar should be if they are employed. I am okay with providing free candy to some kids once a year, but not if they have a job. Not because I feel like they are robbing me or exploiting the convention, but because I would rather teach them that the power of employment creates a value on their time. For $13 they can buy 175 pieces of their favorite Halloween candy in less than 10 minutes. So cut out the middle man and save yourself the time of trick-or-treating. You have money now. Go get what you want. I want them to learn that time is the most finite of resources."
To hear more of Justin's take on trick-or-treating and other parenting topics, you can check out all of his stuff at The Dad Podcast
Check out his latest episode with Norman Aladjem about Norman's book, which is a collection of letters he wrote to his daughter.