As a group of costumed kids headed out to trick or treat during a family gathering Sunday, Grandpa looked up from the football game and yelled to no one and everyone: "You better bring me all your peanut butter cups."

Laughter soon gave way to a question: Do people still hand out peanut butter cups?

If you've entered a child-care facility or school in the past few years, you've undoubtedly seen a warning sign about it being a "peanut free" zone. So many kids are bothered by peanut allergies that all forms of the food -- from candy bars to the classic PB&J sandwich -- are banned.

I've heard the horror stories. I understand the dangers of food allergies. I don't have any problem with the restrictions.

My question is: when did peanuts turn potentially lethal?

At the risk of sounding like an old guy ("I walked three miles through the snow uphill to get to school"), I have to say that I don't remember any kids in my grade school being so allergic to anything that being in the same room as the food in question presented a danger.

The peanut hasn't changed since I was a kid. Now, it seems as though the kids have.