Generally, no...but I did about a year ago. My house is a 1930s bungalow, and the front door is original to the house, with a large glass pane that is mostly frosted, but has borders that let you see in/out. It also has an old-fashioned "crank" doorbell. It was a Sunday night a few weeks before Christmas, a little before midnight. I went downstairs to turn off the lights before going to bed. I had just clicked the switch on one of the lamps when the doorbell's "brrrrriiiiinggggg!!" made me practically jump out of my skin. I froze - I couldn't see who it was because of the lights on inside, but knew they could see me so there was no use hiding. So I grabbed the panic button to my alarm system and went to the door.
At first peering through the door I didn't see anyone, but then I looked down and saw a little boy, around 6 years old, just standing at the door looking back at me through the glass. I asked him if he needed help, was hurt, etc., no response. At that point, he kept looking over to his right, which really freaked me out because my first thought was that there was someone else on my porch who had the kid ring the bell to try and gain entry into the house.
At that point, I grabbed the phone and called 911. While I was on talking to the operator, I looked out some other windows and ascertained that there was nobody else on the porch or street, and so told the operator that I was opening the door to let the little boy in while waiting for officers to arrive. Again, I asked him if he was hurt, where his family was, if he needed help, etc. but got no response. I asked him the same questions in Spanish, as he looked possibly Hispanic, but while he seemed to understand me, I was getting the impression that he was just non-verbal, possibly autistic. He seemed happy enough to be inside and didn't seem injured or in shock.
Two police officers arrived who were lovely (and cute - I was embarrassed to be in my PJs!) and came to the same conclusion. They checked his clothes (pajamas, slippers and a winter coat) for ID and found nothing. I am generally familiar with the kids living nearby, but had never seen him before, so officers started going door to door. They finally located his family on a neighboring street and he was reunited with them - I guess the mom thought his was with grandma and the grandma thought he was with mom, and meanwhile he took the key off the peg in the kitchen and let himself outside for a little walk. I think he chose my house because my Christmas lights were still on (including lights and ornaments on small trees flanking the front door that might have enticed him up onto the porch).
I live a few blocks from a busy street, so I am very glad I saw him and opened the door. I live alone and am very security conscious - had I heard the bell ring while upstairs, I probably would have just peered out the window to try and see who it was, and might have missed him and written it off to a teenage prank.
