Window Climbing Poll

[PollyannaMom]

So, I was watching a Netflix series yesterday, and yet another teen climbed in their friend's second story window. I thought a minute and realized how many times I've seen this on TV, and how uncommon (I presume) it is in real life...so the question of the day is: Did I miss out on some important rite of passage when I was a teen?

Bonus: If anyone is feeling like it, we can start a funny list of shows/movies this happens in.

 

[Disneylover99]

My parents always welcomed me, as well as my friends to come and go as we pleased, so a window was never necessary.

I still prefer to enter and exit through the front/side door. Lol.

 

[E&Cmom]

Never . TV thing for me. It would have been near impossible to climb into any of the windows in the house I grew up in and my house now. Our windows now only open up at the top quarter.

ETA: Dawson’s Creek is the first show that comes to mind.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I never have, but I grew up in a 2-story house with no easy access points and large (but flimsy) shrubbery beneath the windows. On the flip side, I had a friend with a first floor bedroom and people went in and out of her window all the time. It’s part of why I wanted a 2-story house for my kids.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Apparently that’s another right of passage I missed

 

[EACarlson]

I've exited a couple second story windows over the years, but never climbed in.

 

[wenrob]

I chose “other.” My parents were always on night shift so it wasn’t necessary but there was one time I did climb out the window. I was grounded (per usual) which typically didn’t matter because like I said no one was home but I did have a brother and sister two years younger than me. My brother was a blackmail artist and so would force me to make “deals” then renege. He was a lot bigger than me so he really did have the power to physically stop me from leaving the house. But man, I just HAD to go to this party up the street. So when he didn’t follow through on his end of the bargain I went in my room slamming and locking the door behind me and cranked my tunes in teenage rage. Then I climbed out the window and went to the party, got hammered and had a blast. On my way home I decided rather than climb back in the window and not get busted I was going to knock on the front door despite knowing there would be hell to pay. The look on his face when he opened the door! Totally worth it.

Another time I was fighting with my mother which then turned into a confrontation with my stepfather. It got pretty nasty and I decided I was going to climb out the bathroom window, announced I had to pee and started marching towards the bathroom. He was onto me though and caught me. Which in retrospect was a good thing because they literally lived in the middle of the desert. I don’t know where I thought I was going because the nearest neighbor was a good two miles away and a friend of theirs and town was a 30min drive. No sidewalks, no streetlights, nothing. Even if I’d made it out the window he still would have caught me.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Since my bedroom took the entire second floor, my parents did me a favour and bought me a safety fire escape ladder that I kept under my bed. So I had a few guests in over the years, but again, since I was on the second floor, we had to be VERY discreet.

 

[Micca]

I voted other. I'm sure it has happened, but I don't think it's very common. I don't recall anyone coming or going via the window.

 

[kdonnel]

I've exited a couple second story windows over the years, but never climbed in.

I have gone out as high as a third floor window, but also never climbed in on any floor.

 

[tvguy]

Two story houses were uncommon in the neighborhood I grew up in. There were a few, but the minimum lot size in the area was 1/2 acre and most folks just had larger single story houses since they had plenty of land.
Now, many of those houses have been torn down, and McMansions built on the lots. Many of those newly built houses are two story. And many are 5,000 square feet or more.

 

[RedAngie]

I once “Came in Through the Bathroom Window.”

Protected by the silver spoon in my mouth.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Dawson’s Creek is the first show that comes to mind.

I was watching "Never Have I Ever" (on Netflix) when the thought occurred to me.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Check below my avatar. But it was a first floor window at a DIS meet.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Never heard of that around here.

 

[diznygirl]

I chose other because it was our own window. We lived in the apartment on the second floor of a house. We climbed the tree outside to get in and out of my brother’s bedroom window. Even if we could use the stairs. Lol

 

[fla4fun]

I grew up un a ranch style house all on one floor, but there was a wide evergreen hedge along the front of the house under the bedroom windows that would have been very painful to go across. The next house we lived in had second story rooms, and my room was over the aluminum awning for the back patio. It wouldn’t have supported any weight at all. After that, I was an adult, so no one needed to use anything other than the door. I was never tempted to sneak out, but I am sure some of the kids in my class did it regularly.

 

[_19disnA]

I suspect those are mostly 'made for TV' situations. You would need a relatively tall extension ladder to reach the second floor window on most homes regardless of their design. Even if your family had such a ladder in the garage you would have open the garage door (which is something everyone in the home could hear), so it seems very unlikely to me. Roofs on most homes are slopped and tend to be slippery so climbing out that way even if it was possible seems unlikely and no idea how you would ever be able to return that way.

 

[nw6675]

I guess first floor doesn't count.

Funny story. My sister was home from college sort of house watching while I was on vacation with my parents. Her friend stayed in my room and woke up at 2 AM to a boy knocking on my window...

 

[JLTraveling]

I suspect those are mostly 'made for TV' situations. You would need a relatively tall extension ladder to reach the second floor window on most homes regardless of their design. Even if your family had such a ladder in the garage you would have open the garage door (which is something everyone in the home could hear), so it seems very unlikely to me. Roofs on most homes are slopped and tend to be slippery so climbing out that way even if it was possible seems unlikely and no idea how you would ever be able to return that way.

I'm guessing you never saw It Takes a Thief? Discovery Channel show about 15 years ago where two ex-burglars would stage a break-in to show homeowners their security weaknesses and then give them a full security makeover. All the episodes are still available on the Discovery app. Anyway, Jon didn't need no stinkin' ladder, he could get to the second floor (and sometimes the third) in all sorts of inventive ways. It's worth watching the show just for the real-life Spiderman lol.

On topic, nope, not a thing with me or any of my friends.