Stay at Home Moms

Answering the door?

The Post below about the old neighbor appearing inspired this question. Do you answer the door during the day if you are not expecting someone? We do not have a peep hole, so I can't see who is at the door without being really obvious looking out a window. So I don't answer the door during the day if DH is gone. I can look from an upstairs window as they leave to see who it was.

I guess being home by myself with 2 little ones makes me leary of answering it. Just curious if I'm the only paranoid one? Lol.
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Re: Answering the door?

  • I don't answer the door to anyone I don't know if it's just DS and I at home. We have a peephole, though. Can you install one?
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  • I'm really just not paranoid about this sort of thing. Our doorbell doesn't work, so unless someone knocks or my dog notices them I don't usually know anyone is there until I see them leaving. If I see them I answer. I have no problem telling salespeople I'm not interested. 99% of the time it's kids doing fundraisers which I'm happy to oblige.
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  • I always answer the door, it wouldn't occur to me not to answer it.  
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    DD 8.01.13
  • I don't answer the door to anyone I don't know if it's just DS and I at home. We have a peephole, though. Can you install one?

    no, it's a rental house..
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  • I feel like we have this discussion once a month. Yes, I answer the door abd don't think twice about it. Our door is all glass and we have 2 sidelights, so it's pretty easy to see who it is. I find it a bit paranoid to not answer the door.

    I haven't see another post before.. Didn't mean to repeat.. The last town we lived in, neighborhoods were targeted during the day and people would knock and then push their way into the homes.. So yeah, I guess I am a bit paranoid.. :-S
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  • We rarely answer the door unless we're expecting someone.  It's usually just a delivery person leaving a package, and that's not urgent enough for me to walk downstairs and open the door. 
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  • You can install a peep hole- it's the first thing we did when we moved in.

    Do you have a drill? And drill bits (bigger ones). We went to ACE with the drill bit we had and matched it with that size peep hole and installed it in less than 3 minutes. Super easy and will give you peace of mind.
  • We installed a peephole because I do answer the door, and hated not knowing who was there before I opended it. Our doors are solid wood, and becasue of awful landscaping, I can't even see the front step through a window. I rarely have people come to the door, but I would be more paranoid NOT answering it, like if they were up to no good and thought I wasn't home they might try to break in or something.

    But these posts and the posts about people coming to the door to sell their religion make me think I live in an exceptionally quiet neighborhood. Since we moved in a year and a half ago, I think strangers have come to my door twice?  Neighbors I wasn't expecting, maybe 3 times?

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  • I yell "who is it?" through the closed door if I don't recognize the person. 99% of the time it's a solicitor who ignored the "no soliciting" sign, so I yell "we're not interested" through the door and that's the end of it. There have been reports of mid-day home invasions performed in the exact same manner as you described in our neighborhood, so I'm more cautious than I used to be about opening the door, but I also don't want them to think the house is empty.

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    Grant - 6/2/11
    Glenn and Caroline - 6/19/13

  • Nope, unless I can see outside an upstairs window and can tell it's someone I know. We live in a large subdivision, so people are always out here trying to sell stuff even though they're not supposed to be.
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  • I pretty much always answer the door. We have a peep hole and a locking screen door (which was locked and kept locked yesterday). I don't answer the door if I'm a total mess- like just hopped off the treadmill and the doorbell rings kind of mess. I also don't answer it at night if DD and I are home alone and not expecting anyone.
  • I always peek through a side window first. Yes, I am paranoid. 
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  • I answer if I'm not in the middle of something. My dogs go ape-shit until I open the door, then they go back to sleep.
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  • Yep, because a couple of years ago people were knocking on the door to check and see if somebody was home and then breaking in if nobody answered. 
  • I always answer. Sometimes I even send my older kids to answer.
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  • I answer. I don't worry about stuff like this. I figure if someone wants in or to do us harm bad enough, they'll find another way easily enough.
    DD - 12/31/13
  • I answer the door. I am not concerned. We live in a safe place and I live on a street with other women who are home during the day or have nannies at their houses. We all kinda know what's going on on our street. Maybe I'm overly optimistic but I doubt much bad would happen here.
  • id012id012 member
    I answer the door. But its a little tricky because we have 3 doors that could be front doors. If they knock on the real front door I dont answer because I dont hear it. If the knock on door number 3 I bring my dog because I cant see anything. Do it number 2 I can see the perfectly out of the window on the steps.
  • After being confronted about this before my DH's uncle, I look out the window.  Today I was downstairs working out (DVD) and DD3 was watching a movie upstairs.  Our mailman came to the door, which she probably saw him walking up, and opened the door.  Our door is super hard for her to open too.  She had it open, reaching for the screen when I came upstairs.   :-/


  • I answer the door, but I have big open windows along the front of my house, so I see people coming before they knock.

    I get kids selling stuff almost every week. Occasionally a neighbor stops by to talk to me or ask a question. Recently a neighbor wanted to let me know about a dead cat in my yard. Luckily not mine.
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  • Usually our only doorknockers are people delivering packages, so semi-expected. One time we had an unexpected housecall from a cable worker to work on our cable (their system had flagged us as having a potential signal issue) but other than that it's been blissfully quiet since we moved.

    At our old apartment we had a peephole and our only unexpected visitors were solicitors ignoring the signs posted everywhere. I'm mean to people trying to sell me shit and polite but firm to people hoping to convert me.
  • Salespeople annoy me because I can't get rid of them. So, I usually let them know I am not interested without opening the door. we have glass on our door, so they can see me.
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  • I answer the door, I dont want randoms to think the house is empty if it's not. That said I have the loudest, most annoying dog ever and I have no problem letting her bark her head off while I tell people I'm not interested. I close the door fast and they leave quickly, it works.
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  • If I'm not expecting someone, I just check the security cameras. Usually I see people's backside bc my dog has already tried to chew through the door and they get scared and run off.
  • Nope, I don't answer the door unless I'm expecting someone. I usually don't get there in time anyhow, and even if I were to answer the door, I wouldn't be able to hear anything because the dogs go ballistic. I'd have to go outside, and that's not gonna happen with my kids inside.
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  • jlpevjlpev member
    I look out the window before answering. We live in the country & houses are usually targeted during the day. I have also heard of people pushing doors open once you open the door. So I've become skeptical of people especially when I'm home alone with 2 little kids.
    We do have a security system.
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  • I am paranoid on the opposite end. 

    2 and a half years ago our house was robbed and the police at the time told us 99% of robberies happen when they make sure that no one is home. They don't want to get caught, etc. So, they will ring the doorbell and if no one answers, will then attempt to break in.

    So I always answer the door so they know that someone is home. 
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  • Yep, I answer.
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  • I answer. In the city I always looked through the peephole first, but I haven't done that since leaving the city. Now that I think of t I'm not sure if my door even has a peephole. I also rarely lock my doors except at night. The kids and I and in and out all day anyway and we don't have a fenced yard, so it's not like it would be hard to get to us for nefarious purposes if someone wanted to.

    That said, in the just about two years I've lived here the only people who have come unexpectedly was a neighbor once and my mom. I've never once had a stranger knock on my door in my life. Not to sell religion or anything else.
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  • I ask who it is and what they want through the door without opening it. It's glass too and I don't care they can see me. 99% it's salespeople and I just tell them not interested through the door
  • As a general rule, no, I don't answer the door. However, it has gotten a bit more challenging to "duck and hide" to avoid people since our door is glass in our new house. Case in point: The other day our busy body soon-to-be-neighbor (house still being built, comes over ALL the time) rang the doorbell and then knocked loudly. It was pretty much a total failed attempt to ignore her since DS had his face UP TO the glass waving at her yelling "MOMMY!!!" This was while I stood in the loft looking down at him saying "Shhhhh." Did I mention this was the only day this week that we didn't have to leave the house? I wasn't wearing a bra...

    But no, with now 3 little ones, I don't feel comfortable answering the door. I feel too vulnerable since I am usually wearing DD2.
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  • rockyrollgirlrockyrollgirl member
    edited April 2014
    Eh, I do not care if people answer their door and I do not care if people do not answer their door. These threads are always so dumb. Like I said, I look before answering but sometimes I do not answer because I am a grouch and people annoy me.
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  • jlpevjlpev member
    jlpev said:

    I look out the window before answering. We live in the country & houses are usually targeted during the day. I have also heard of people pushing doors open once you open the door. So I've become skeptical of people especially when I'm home alone with 2 little kids.
    We do have a security system.


    So wtf is the answer? Either live in fear of every mormon and girl scout and never open the door and they will break in anyway- or answer the door and they will break in anyway.

    I choose to live my life. Safely, but I live my life.


    I just look before i decide to answer. Different strokes for different folks. I live far enough out that nobody just shows up unexpected.
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  • If you're worried about opening when you're alone or it's you and the kids wtf do you think single people or single mothers do? Im sure they find they need to answer their door in occasion.
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