How old is too old to go trick-or-treating? As Halloween approaches, Chesapeake, Virginia says the answer to that question is anyone over the age of 12.

　　幾歲的孩子不再適合玩“不給糖就搗蛋”?隨著萬圣節(jié)臨近，美國弗吉尼亞州切薩皮克市的答案是，超過12歲就不適合玩這個(gè)游戲了。

　　City officials recently announced that doorbell-ringing candy seekers over the age of 12 could face a misdemeanor charge, up to six months in jail, and $25 to $100 fines. They’re far from alone: WAVY’s hrScene reports that nine towns in Virginia have make it illegal for teens to trick-or-treat. The Associated Press reports that officials in Meridian, Mississippi, Bishopville, South Carolina, and Boonsboro, Maryland, also have set the cutoff age at 12. The phenomenon isn’t limited to the US: In 2017, Bathrust, a town in Canada, banned anyone older than 16.

　　切薩皮克市官員近日宣布，12歲以上的人按門鈴要糖將會(huì)面臨輕罪指控，最高可判處監(jiān)禁6個(gè)月，罰款25美元到100美元(173元人民幣到690元人民幣)。不光是切薩皮克市，WAVY旗下的hrScene網(wǎng)站報(bào)道稱，弗吉尼亞州的9個(gè)城鎮(zhèn)已經(jīng)立法禁止青少年玩“不給糖就搗蛋”。美聯(lián)社報(bào)道稱，密西西比州的莫瑞典市、南卡羅來納州的比夏普維爾市、馬里蘭州的布恩斯伯勒小鎮(zhèn)的官員也都將這一年齡定在12歲。這一現(xiàn)象不僅限于美國：2017年加拿大的巴斯拉斯特鎮(zhèn)禁止16歲以上的人玩“不給糖就搗蛋”。

　　There’s no widely accepted etiquette for who gets to trick-or-treat. Most kids naturally stop doing it when they become teenagers. Still, some parents believe they should preserve their kids’ childhood traditions as long as possible. This debate was the topic of a?Today?show segment in September 2017, and in an unofficial survey, 66% of viewers responded that there should be an age limit.

　　對(duì)于幾歲的人能玩“不給糖就搗蛋”沒有普遍認(rèn)可的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。多數(shù)小孩在進(jìn)入青春期后就自然地停止玩這個(gè)游戲了。但是，仍然有一些父母認(rèn)為他們應(yīng)該盡可能長久地保留孩子的童年傳統(tǒng)。這個(gè)話題在2017年9月還上了《今日秀》，據(jù)非官方調(diào)查，66%的觀眾表示玩這個(gè)游戲應(yīng)該有個(gè)年齡限制。

　　Officials say they won’t be actively looking to catch teenage trick-or-treaters in the act. The age limits, along with measures like curfews, are part of a broader push to limit pranks and vandalism. Some parents think that preventing older kids from participating in Halloween traditions will have the opposite effect. Hans Broedel, a University of North Dakota history professor and expert on early traditions, told the AP that “trick-or-treating in a large part is embraced in this country because it serves to cut down on teenage vandalism,” adding “telling teenagers they can’t go trick-or-treating isn’t going to stop them from going out on Halloween.”

　　官員稱，他們不會(huì)積極去抓捕那些玩“不給糖就搗蛋”游戲的青少年。玩這個(gè)游戲的年齡限制就和宵禁一樣，是限制惡作劇和破壞行為的廣泛措施之一。一些父母認(rèn)為，不讓大孩子參與萬圣節(jié)傳統(tǒng)游戲會(huì)產(chǎn)生反效果。北達(dá)科他大學(xué)歷史系教授、早期傳統(tǒng)專家漢斯·布勒德爾告訴美聯(lián)社說，“不給糖就搗蛋游戲在美國被接受，很大程度上是因?yàn)樗兄跍p少青少年破壞行為”，他還說：“告訴青少年不準(zhǔn)玩不給糖就搗蛋游戲并不會(huì)阻止他們?cè)谌f圣節(jié)出門?！?/p>

　　A Facebook post last year argued that all kids, regardless of age, should be allowed to take part in trick-or-treating. It was shared more than 4,000 times, with close to 700 comments illustrating just how bitter this debate has gotten, according to?The Kansas City Star.

　　據(jù)《堪薩斯城星報(bào)》報(bào)道，去年臉書的一個(gè)帖子指出，所有孩子，不論年紀(jì)多大，都應(yīng)被允許參加“不給糖就搗蛋”游戲。這個(gè)帖子被分享了超4000次，評(píng)論近700條，這足以說明討論的激烈程度。

　　Some parents argued that kids shouldn’t be coddled. Others argued that even older kids should be encouraged to take part in the sense of wonder and excitement of Oct. 31, and most said they were willing to give candy to whoever darkens their stoop. That seems consistent with the scientific studies that find play is integral to helping children develop into healthy, well-adapted people, and that play encourages kids to develop collaboration and creativity.

　　一些父母提出，孩子不應(yīng)該驕縱。其他一些父母則認(rèn)為，即使是大孩子也應(yīng)被鼓勵(lì)參與到萬圣節(jié)前夜的驚喜和刺激當(dāng)中來。多數(shù)人表示，他們?cè)敢饨o任何化裝的來客分發(fā)糖果。這似乎印證了科學(xué)研究的觀點(diǎn)。先前有研究表明，游戲?qū)τ趲椭⒆映砷L為健康、適應(yīng)力強(qiáng)的人發(fā)揮著不可或缺的作用，而且能鼓勵(lì)孩子培養(yǎng)合作精神和創(chuàng)造力。

　　Given how over-scheduled, anxious, and unhappy today’s teens are, maybe a little Halloween magic is exactly in order.

　　考慮到現(xiàn)在青少年的繁忙日程，考慮到他們有多么焦慮和不快樂，也許萬圣節(jié)來一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)魔法正是他們所需要的。