Ok, joking about that last one. Kinda.
But last week brought up a new dilemma that I was not prepared for: the stranger at the door.
Riggs was napping and I was going about my daily business when I heard a knock at the door, and then the doorbell. Weber, who rarely barks unless there is someone outside, began barking her head off, and I instantly cringed at the thought of her waking the baby. {Note to self: make "baby sleeping, please do not ring doorbell" sign.}
A friend had mentioned stopping by to drop something off, so I opened the door, but it was not my friend. It was a man in somewhat shabby clothes, asking if I had any work for him and his sons to do to earn a bit of extra money.
Now here is where it is handy to have a dog. Random people who knock on my door tend to be a bit afraid of her (She expertly intimidated a Jehovah's Witness visitor last month, leading them to shove a pamphlet to me through the crack in the door and scurry away down the drive. Weber got a treat for that one.) and this gentleman was no exception. He said, "Oh don't let the dog out," which gave me the excuse to talk to him through a crack in the glass door.
I told him that I didn't have any work for him and suggested that he check with our neighbor across the street who has a huge garden, and the church on the block. He told me that he had already checked, that he and his boys had been turned out of their apartment that morning, and that they were desperate for a bit of work. Oh, and did I mention that it was a good 96 degrees or so outside?
As I shut the door, I realized that this was one issue of stay-at-home-motherdom that I had not been prepared for. What's a woman at home alone with a baby to do? We don't have a peep hole, and none of our windows give me a good view of who is on our stoop. I would want to help someone in legitimate need, but that is an impossible assessment to make and definitely not worth the risk when you consider how easy it would be for a situation to go very bad, very fast.
I think my hubby is going to install a peep hole, but I'm curious...do any of you seasoned stay-at-home moms have experience with strangers at your door? What is your rule of thumb for handling these situations?
11 comments:
Your post was in my reader this time...weird!
Anyway, YES, that is something I worry about as well. We have had a 'panty burglar' in our area (breaks in, steals all electronics...and all panties), so I am always on the lookout. Maybe we should get a peephole, too. Or a shotgun. Or a Weber. ;)
I have this dilema all.of.the.time. Steve installed a peephole b/c every time the bell rang, I hid! We have someone come to the house almost weekly and although our neigborhood is safe, we're close to downtown and there have been reports of robberies/break-ins just blocks from our house. I once read that burglars disguise themselves as "door-to-door salesman" so they can get a glimpse at your personal property and stake out their next victim. Now, I set the alarm if I'm home alone (esp. when showering), always keep the doors locked and if I don't recognize the person in the peephole, I don't answer it (unless of course it's the girlscouts with cookies!). Not worth the risk to me. Steve can open the door to strangers all he wants, but I'm too paranoid being at home with my baby!
I don't answer the door unless I'm sure it's someone I know. I don't have a peephole, but I can see our front yard/driveway from my window. I can usually peek out and tell if it's a car I recognize. I also ask friends and family to call if they are pulling up.
I peek out one of our front windows! If there isn't a car in the driveway, or if I don't recognize the car, I don't answer. Or you can always yell, "Honey, I'll get it!" before answering!!
We installed a peephole on our door...not hard or expensive. It's definitely worth it so I don't have to answer the door if I don't know the person.
I can honestly say we don't get too many knocks on the door, but I am prone to ignore them when we do. I don't even care if the boys and I are within sight through the windows, I don't have to answer if I don't want to!
If I'm home alone I never answer the door. It's sad that it's come to that but you can never be too careful!! :)
Well, I am not at all a seasoned SAHM, however, I am absolutely not allowed to answer the door. At all. Under any circumstances...unless I know the person on the other side of the door.
There have been many occasions where I have answered the door, and left myself feeling very uncomfortable about the whole encounter. Andy made the rule that unless I can see who it is, and recognize them through the peep hole, I am just not allowed to answer it.
I like that he's worried about me, and it actually makes me feel a lot more safe! I figure if it was someone I knew, I would either know they were coming, or they would call me when I didn't answer. I think this will be good for when Tucker gets here, too!
Plus, if you don't have a peep hole, you're really not prepared for whoever could be on the other side!
When Rick and I lived in the OBU married housing, I was always scared about answering the door (mostly because I was positive drug deals were going down nearly everyday across the street), so I would always pretend I was on the phone when I answered the door.
Also, being a paranoid mother who has watched too many dateline stories, I don't want people at the door to see baby stuff, so I crack the door to talk... due to the shows about kidnappings out of people's houses. So, when Em was born, I decided I don't want any visuals for people to know there is a newborn in the house. I just feel like it could attract unwanted company.
Leslie, I understand your concern as I live with a roommate and we are both home alone alot. However, I used to work for ADT and one of the lessons they taught us was to always answer the door. Most criminals would rather not deal with any kind of confrontation, so if you don't answer the door chances are they are going to think you are not at home and possibly try to break in, which would be even worse off if you had answered the door. You should think about getting a security system installed. You can have them on when you are in the house and it might make you feel more safe. Hope this helps:) Jordan Anderson
i know this post is old, but hopefully you will still receive my comment. never answer the door. however, i heard its best to say "im not interested" through the door so that the person on the other side knows someone is home.
Post a Comment