One young lady in the Netherlands adheres to the Sint Maarten tradition. During this time, kids sing for candy between 6 and 7 pm. However, when new neighbors showed up late and the candy ran out, a situation arose.

My Personal Experience

I, 21f, live with my parents in the Netherlands. We have a unique tradition on November 11 called Sint Maarten. Kids make their own lanterns and go door to door, singing songs to get candy, similar to trick or treating. In our neighborhood, there's a rule that kids (and their parents) can only come for candy between 6 and 7 pm. Also, houses participating need to have a candle outside the door; no candle means no songs or candy.New neighbors moved here 6 months ago and this was their first time participating. They have 4 kids between 9ish and 15ish, and of course, they were welcome.During Sint Maarten, I was alone at home as my parents were with my sick aunt. I put a candle next to the door and prepared a bowl of candy between 6 and 7 pm. Many kids came and it was adorable. But at 7 pm, I blew out the candle and grabbed the remaining 3 pieces of candy to snack on as I had a deadline.Around 9 pm, the new neighbors rang the bell. The kids started singing, and I politely told them the planned hour was over. The mom said they couldn't participate as they couldn't miss her TV show and her husband was grocery shopping.The rules still apply! We have a group chat with all the adults in the neighborhood where the rules are repeated every year, and these new neighbors are also in the chat. I explained the rules again, emphasizing that it must be a candle outside the door to avoid confusion. She asked if I was really going to deny her kids candy after they sang. I told them there was no more candy and she got even angrier. I pointed out that even if there was, there wasn't enough for all her kids.She demanded I find candy for her kids. When I offered fruit instead, she scoffed and said I had ruined Sint Maarten for her kids. The kids started whining, and she told them there was no candy. It was almost 9:30, my deadline was at 11, and I was tired, stressed with a headache and grumpy. I tried to be polite and went back to my project.The next day, the mom sent a message in the group chat saying her kids were disappointed they couldn't participate and expected better from a neighborhood with many kids.Even though the rules were clear and the candy was gone, the neighbor was not happy and made sure to let everyone know. Reddit had some strong opinions. This person thinks the parents were definitely in the wrong. It shows such audacity. People wonder what she expected to happen. Some think when it comes to traditions, some people think rules are optional. This is extreme entitlement!If you enjoyed this story, you might like to read about a teacher who taught the school's administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.