All these children have Debbie to thank for that void in their trick-or-treating parcels this year.
“AITA for not getting special treats for a neighbor kid who has a disability?”
The OP explained how they found themselves at odds with their neighbor owing to their Halloween offerings:
“Every year at Halloween, we give out chips instead of candy.”
“My wife and I think it’s fun for the kids to get chips to go along with their candy.”
“We buy ahead of time at Costco, so there’s always plenty.”
“What we don’t use will be saved for things like BBQ later in the year so people can have their own bags of chips.”
“I have a neighbor, Debbie, who is really upset about the potato chips we give her because her kid doesn’t eat them.”
“She thinks we should offer some other options to her kid because he has a disability.”
“I don’t think that’s fair, and I told her it’s extremely rude to ask people who are giving out free stuff for Halloween to change things for just one kid, and I told her I’m not doing it.”
“When her child comes and knocks on my door, he gets chips like everyone else.”
“I let the kids pick the types of chips from the bowl that they like and I feel like that’s more than generous.”
“Debbie said other neighbors are accommodating of her child’s disability for Halloween, and I should think of others.”
“I’m older so I think a child should be grateful for whatever they get for free on Halloween and not expect special treatment for a disability when getting free items.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the op was not the A**hole for refusing to offer an alternative to chips to their neighbor’s child.
Everyone agreed that the fact that Debbie’s son, disability or not, didn’t like potato chips was not their concern, as everyone pointed out that being given something you don’t particularly like was a more than common occurrence on Halloween:
“‘She thinks we should offer some other options to her kid because he has a disability’.”
“And she’s free to think that, she just isn’t free to require it of you.”
“Wow, lol.”
“The nerve.”
“If her kid doesn’t like it, he can trade with another kid for something he does like…just like the rest of us and our kids have done.”
“NTA.”- IamIrene
“NTA.”
“So, my kid is on the autism spectrum, and he only eats Skittles Littles and Sour Punch Bites.”
“He will not touch any other candy, and trying to bribe him to taste it just leads to him gagging until he pukes.”
“You are not responsible for accommodating every f*cking kid on Halloween!”
“You’re a freaking person, not some business/organization, giving out FREE candy.”
“The ONLY accommodation I would ever think of asking for would involve me (THE PARENT) providing the treats and just asking the neighbors to give my kid that thing.”
“Nope nope nope.”- Aggravating-Item9162
“NTA.”
“New level of entitlement there.”
“Part of Halloween for me was always trading the stuff you don’t like with friends as we trick or treated or siblings when I got home.”
“If nobody wanted it, it went to my parents.”- Laines_Ecossaises
“You’re not required to provide snacks for ANY of the children.”
“If the child doesn’t like chips/can’t eat chips, he can skip your house.”
“It’s not like you’re causing the child to starve.”
“NTA.”- mdthomas
“NTA.”
“Debbie sounds like an extremely entitled person.”
“What about kids with chocolate allergies?”
“Should they go around demanding potato chips?”- JimmyAintSure4646
“NTA.”
“If it bothers your neighbor so much, she can provide something for you to give her kid.”-
jemoss9
“NTA.”
“That’s Halloween- my kids always get something they don’t like or love.”- Ladyughsalot1
“NTA.”
“She can just skip your house.”
“I used to skip the house that gave out popcorn balls.”- Emergency-Life-8538
“NTA.”
“This is some entitled neighbor.”
“Part of trick or treating is sometimes getting something you don’t like.”
“Tell her she can skip your house.”
“I’m older, too, and I put up with very little bs anymore.”
“We actually quit giving out candy on Halloween because we have an ahole dog.”
“Barks nonstop for folks at the door and tries to escape.”
“It’s not worth the aggravation.”
“My husband did not train him while I was still working.”
“It’ll be our last dog.”- MarthaT001
“NTA.”
“They can just skip your house if they don’t want chips.”- applebum8807
“NTA.”
“If she wants a menu, she should go to a restaurant.”- Key-Stock1453
“Why can’t the kid eat chips?”
“Is it due to his disability, or does he just not like chips?”
“I think you’re NTA either way, but the mom herself may be worse depending on this.”-Mobile_Following_198
“NTA.”
“But Debbie is free to purchase enough of the candy her kid likes, to distribute the candies to all the neighbors and then let her child collect these candies back.”- agnesperditanitt
“NTA.”
“Every time I’ve seen this trick or treat alternative concept, it involves the parents explaining, asking, and giving the neighbors an appropriate treat to hand out to their child if they agree.”
“She’s just demanding you do the work and being rude about it.”
“It’s trick or treat, not Burger King.”
“She can’t have it her way.”- b00kbat
“NTA.”
“It would be one thing if your neighbor knocked on your door with a treat for her son in hand like, “‘hey I’m your neighbor, my son has some special needs and isn’t a fan of most candies’.”
“‘I was planning to take him around the neighborhood for the same halloween experience, will you be home handing out candy?'”
“‘Could I give you a treat to put on the side for when my son comes by to help make this experience enjoyable for him?'”
“If my neighbor approached me with this request, I would be more than happy to oblige.”
“I’d just put a sticky note on the treat and keep it near the front door, where I wouldn’t forget.”
“Expecting you to go out and purchase something extra, on the other hand, not gonna fly.”
“If your kid needs extra accommodations, it should be up to you to make sure they are available.”
“Knocking on your neighbor’s doors and expecting them to make an extra purchase for your benefit is simply entitled.”
“If your neighbor wants to advocate/encourage others to have a wider variety of Halloween treats available she should be doing it online like all the other annoying entitled people, not accosting anyone directly.”- a-very-tired-witch
“NTA.”
“I didn’t like everything I got on Halloween.”
“I said ‘thank you’ with a smile and went on.”
“We didn’t ask for something specific.”
“Sure, the few times I could pick, I went for what I liked or what my parents liked.”
“But when I couldn’t, it didn’t matter.”
“It was fun to walk around and see all the decorations and costumes.”
“When I got home, I made two piles of candy.”
“What I liked and what I didn’t.”
“What I didn’t, my parents ate, or if they didn’t want it, we gave it to my aunt for her candy bowl for guests.”
“What no one ate, did get tossed once it went stale.”- writer-villain
The OP later returned with an update, sharing that they and their wife ultimately did make a change of plans for their Halloween offerings this year:
“My wife and I decided we don’t want to deal with it anymore and will be donating the chips to the local school and churches for their Halloween party.”
“Lights off at our house.”
It might surprise Debbie to learn that there were, more than likely, plenty of children who were looking forward to their annual bag of chips at the OP’s house.
All these children have Debbie to thank for that void in their trick-or-treating parcels this year.
At least the local schools and churches will still benefit from the OP’s generosity.