I have always wondered how I would react if someone broke into my house when my husband was away on business.
Well, tonight I found out.
This week, I’m staying with my in-laws while my husband travels. Every evening, I get the kids down to bed and log on to the computer to grade papers and check email.
My mother-in-law and father-in-law usually retire to bed around 10:30, and I’m usually awake long after everyone in the house is asleep.
Around 11:30 p.m. tonight, as I was working on the computer and the kids were sound asleep, I heard a noise coming from what seemed like the girls’ room or the room next to theirs.
For a few seconds, I thought it was my oldest getting up to use the bathroom. But after a minute or so and no sign of her, I could hear even more movement and began to realize it was an adult-sized person taking those steps and rustling around in a bedroom.
It hit me that I didn’t have any idea who was in the room with my kids, and I had to do something! Without losing a beat, I leapt up from the kitchen table and started running down the hall ready to attack whoever was in there…
Only to find…
It was my mother-in-law using the computer in the office next to the kids’ bedroom!
What a relief! My heart was racing so fast, but I quickly calmed down when I realized she had just snuck away to play video games on the computer (which she rarely does) and time had gotten away from her. It just never occurred to me that she would be on the computer at 11:30 p.m.
Now that I’m confident my kids are safe, I decided to write all this down. You see, one of my biggest fears is that my children will be harmed. When we’re at home, I set the house alarm at night; that way, I’ll know if someone tries to open a window or door. But at my in-laws house, there is no alarm and the kids rooms are ground-level with simple push up windows. It occurs to me quite often that it’s not a very secure place to be at night.
I’m probably being ridiculous, but I can’t help it since the reason I have an alarm system is that someone broke into my car in my driveway a couple years ago while my husband was out of town and I was home alone with a toddler and infant. Even more recently, I witnessed a getaway to a robbery that happened two doors down from me IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. And just two weeks ago, my car was broken into yet again – this time at a local community center. I have THE best luck when it comes to this sort of thing.
Put all of these things together, and I’m on high alert for any type of suspicious activity at any time of day.
I keep thinking of the self-defense teacher who learned that I had three kids. He had just finished teaching me ways to fend off an attacker. I will never forget him saying, “With little kids depending on you, you will not just have to fend off an attacker, you will have to face them with certainty or risk them getting to your kids.”
Of course, that scared the living daylights out of me. I had hoped that I would have the courage to face an attacker if that unfortunate occasion should arrive. But you truly never know what you’ll do in an emergency.
Now I know.
Except now I’m thinking I should have thought to grab the frying pan out of the sink drying rack right next to me! :=)
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Derek @ Freeat33 says
I can tell you that I understand your paranoia. However there is a big difference between a local teenager breaking into your car, and someone entering your home to cause harm to your family.
Those are VERY different acts.
Saying that, I cannot sleep even on a different floor than my family and have waken up to a noise and charged into action to find something fell off a shelf.
Lena says
Yes, I agree they’re different acts. But the guys who broke into our car in the driveway weren’t kids – they were in their mid and late twenties. 🙁 The fact that this happened in our own driveway really got to me. Those guys were dumb criminals – they had already robbed five other cars in the neighborhood, and the police were already waiting for them at the end of my street – but what if they were of the mind to rob my house instead? I was really jumpy for a while there.
The detective told me to never underestimate someone, no matter how young they are/look. He said you wouldn’t believe how many kids carry guns. I don’t think the odds are very high that someone would be breaking in specifically to do us harm; however, I believe a situation can easily escalate when firearms are involved.
Danielle @ 2 Little Superheroes says
I first read this thinking someone really had broken into your home!
Lena says
You and me both! 😉
Brick By Brick Investing | Marvin says
I have a little chihuahua that my wife got while I was on deployment. This little thing has ears that can hear a pin drop from a mile away. With that being said I also have numerous handguns stashed through out the house. The second my dog starts barking after bedtime is the second my handgun is locked and loaded and I’m clearing rooms =)
Lena says
Whoa, Marvin! That’s heavy duty! My husband is trying to convince me to get one of those fingerprint-operated gun boxes so I can have a loaded gun on hand when he’s traveling. Haven’t decided on that yet, but it would give me peace of mind!
Mandy @MoneyMasterMom says
Nice thought to go Rapunzel style from Tangled. She got great results with a frying pan. Here’s hoping I never have to find out how I’d react.