Am I a Nutbag?

[skiwee1]

People that knock on my door are usually my friends or neighbors popping over to say hi and hang out a little while talking or having a cup of coffee....occasionally its a kid selling something and other times its the gas and elecrtic meter reading guy having to get into the basement to read the meter or the water company guy coming in to read the meter...I like people popping over, guests are always welcome to stop by. None of my neighbors, family or friends calls first, nor do I hen I stop over there......we are friends and friends are welcomed anytime, we dont go by the formality of calling first...

But you are answering the door to people you know. I do that too. I do not answer the door to those I do not know.

 

[mallcat]

I don't answer the door if I do not know them. I will also go to another part of the house and stay out of sight until they leave. I consider that just be cautious. Especially if I am alone in the house.

 

[MagicalMom]

Am I the only one who answers the door? I must be the nutbag! Usually if it is a stranger it is something I really need to know, like one time someone came over during a storm to return a piece of siding that had flew off our house. I thought that was nice. I've had people come to tell me that I left my interior light on in my van, my trash can blew into the street, etc. About once a year some college students try to sell magazines, I just answer & tell them I'm not interested.

I guess I really don't have the option to hide. MY DS 4 can probably be heard from outside yelling "Mommy someone at the door!" as he jumps up & down. Not to mention Dora blasting loudly on the TV.

 

[Patty3]

If there is a knock on my door and I am not expecting anyone, I will not answer the door. In fact, I will not even go and look to see who it is. My children have a key to the house and my friends always call first.

 

[Chicago526]

Not nuts. We had a case here a few weeks ago. Someone knocked at the door and a 3 year old answered it before the mom could get there. 2 armed robbers barged in and stole from the house! Fortunatly they didn't hurt the mom or the kid, just scared them and took money and other valuables!

Even before I read this, I always lock all the doors while I'm home by myself. And since I can't see who is at the door before I answer it, if anyone did knock and I wasn't expecting anyone, I wouldn't answer the door. Our front door has no window or peephole, so I can't see who it is. We're replacing the door in the spring and I told DH I want a small window or at least a peephole! I want to see who I'm ignoring!

 

[imsorry]

If I am home alone and I am not expecting anyone, I never answer the door. I also hate answering the phone; I let the machine pick up and then decide if I want to speak to the caller.

 

[MamaLema]

Not only do I do it a lot...I don't even pretend like I'm not home. I used to tell the kids to be quiet for a few minutes but now I don't care if the person hears me. I have no obligation to answer the door.

 

[Marseeya]

Not only do I do it a lot...I don't even pretend like I'm not home. I used to tell the kids to be quiet for a few minutes but now I don't care if the person hears me. I have no obligation to answer the door.

I like your style!

It's funny, but I feel so much better knowing there are others out there who do the same thing. My DH thinks I'm a complete nut and he gets really aggravated about it. He also used to hate how I wouldn't answer the phone until a couple of times he tried to work from home on his laptop and he was constantly answering the phone. Out of frustration he said, "No wonder you hate the phone! Does it ring like this all the time???" Uh, yes.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

this came up in one of those etiquette columns a couple years ago. It basically said what many of us are saying: if you do not know the person and if the person (especially in a professional - not so much personal capacity) has not called to let you know they are coming/set up an appointment - then there is no obligation to open the door. I don't quite remember what the answer was for people you know or more personal visits.

 

[anut4disney]

You aren't a nutbag. I do the same thing and have even been known to stare the phone down when it starts ringing. Oh dear I guess that means that I am a nutbag.

 

[bigolive9]

I am also a nutbag! When I lived with my parents, they would always tell me if they were expecting a serviceman to come. If I didn't expect anyone, I did not answer the door. They also have a lab/chow mix, and I would let her bark as much as she wanted at the front door while I went upstairs (with my phone) and watched out the window until they left. Call me paranoid, but as an 18 year old girl, I don't think anything is too cautious. Usually after they left, I would call my dad and see if he knew why anyone might be stopping by. He never once got on me for not answering the door. If it was something where it would have been important, they would call my dad, who would then call me, or they could leave a note. I still don't answer our apartment door unless I can tell through the peephole who it is. if it isn't UPS, FedEx or Maintenance, I don't answer. We actually had a situation summer 2004 where we were woken up at 1:00am by a pounding at the door. My husband and I both got up. He answered the door, while I lurked behind it, ready to shove it closed if anyone tried to push their way in. It turned out to be a couple drunk girls looking for the apartment directly above us, but it could have easily been someone with bad intentions. Sorry this was so long. I think the main thing is what we each are comfortable with. I am not comfortable opening the door for someone I don't know/expect.

 

[Muffin]

I didn't read all the replies, so someone may have already suggested this.

I was home alone one night, in bed, just falling asleep. Someone knocked on the door and I didn't answer. Well, they went back downstairs (I lived in a 2nd floor apt.) and climbed up onto the balcony and tried to break in the sliding glass door.

I can only guess they were knocking to see if someone was home. When the noise finally did get me out of bed, and they saw and heard that someone was home, they ran off.

I don't mean to scare you with this story, but it may be something you want to consider for your own safety.

 

[Marseeya]

I didn't read all the replies, so someone may have already suggested this.

I was home alone one night, in bed, just falling asleep. Someone knocked on the door and I didn't answer. Well, they went back downstairs (I lived in a 2nd floor apt.) and climbed up onto the balcony and tried to break in the sliding glass door.

I can only guess they were knocking to see if someone was home. When the noise finally did get me out of bed, and they saw and heard that someone was home, they ran off.

I don't mean to scare you with this story, but it may be something you want to consider for your own safety.

That's so scary for you! I'm so glad it didn't turn out any worse than that.

I'm not overly concerned about that in my situation though. I usually have the TV going and it can be heard outside the front door. Then the dog is going completely bonkers, plus my car is usually parked outside. I'd say 9 times out of 10, they know someone's there, but just not answering for whatever reason.

 

[Micca]

If I don't know they are coming, I don't open the door.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

i usually answer if im home alone, but only if i have someone on the phone or something--i have a rottweiler who is right behind me when i answer the door too!