Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one time I answered the door to a stranger, I got served.

I was taught to NEVER open the door. I ignore Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and anyone else who dares knock.

Well, whose fault is that? Obviously, you're hanging with the wrong crowd.

It was service of a civil suit. I have no idea what you read into that. What it really means is I was unemployed and couldn't pay a bill.

We have two dogs who both bark very energetically and loudly when someone comes on our porch, especially if they knock/ring doorbell. Dogs are not huge but large enought to be intimidating (65 lbs and 45 lbs., both medium tall). I let them bark while I look out the side windows. If it is a man or men, I may ask what they want through the door but usually just mouth "sorry, no thanks." If its is a woman I will hold one dog (the aggressive growler) by his collar, with other bigger dog next to us and open the door slioghtly to see if its someone who needs help or is in trouble. I definitely "use" my dogs and play up their existence during the day if someone comes to the door. My children, 8 and 11 are NOT allowed to open the door for anyone even if we are home, unless it is someone we are expecting and know very, very well. I have never understood parenst who let their kids open the door when anyone comes to the door and I have seen it happen enough to know it is not uncommon (dumb, dumb, dumb).

Anonymous wrote:I feel very safe in my neighborhood, but I don't answer mostly because I don't really want to deal with anyone selling me something. Usually I run and hide.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So weird. I am home and always answer the door. Sometimes I look to see who it is first but I answer it. Never taught the "rule" to not answer. I feel safe.

Same here. I was beginning to think I was alone.

Me too. It would never occur to me to not answer the door.

Where do you guys live?

I don't answer the door when strangers knock. We have a dog who barks like mad when anyone comes to the door and most people leave without waiting very long after hearing him.

Or, where did you grow up? Maybe you grew up in a smaller town where it was safer to open the door? I grew up in NoVA in the '80s and our rule was to not open the door if our parents were not home and, even if they were home, to let them open the door. I do have friends, however, who did not have this rule, so I understant it was not "universal" or anything around here.

But that rule was for when you were a kid, right? Now you are the adult.

I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and I live in NoVA now.

Yeah, as I had mentioned in a previous post, this is a carryover from when I was younger, so I just got in the habit of not answering the door. The doorbell rings, I sort of go, "Eh," and don't really register it as anything that I need to be concerned about, unless I was expecting somebody.

Yes, I do for two reasons. One, we have a dog who gets super excited when people knock and runs to the door barking. She makes me feel safer. Two, I usually work in the living room which you can see from the door so it would be weird if I didn't answer it. In fact you can basically see our whole first floor from the door.

Anonymous wrote:The one time I answered the door to a stranger, I got served.

I was taught to NEVER open the door. I ignore Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and anyone else who dares knock.

Well, whose fault is that? Obviously, you're hanging with the wrong crowd.

Anonymous wrote:We moved to a new neighborhood recently that I'm not feeling entirely safe in yet. We don't have a peephole in the door, so if someone knocks I have to look out the window... but then they can obviously see that I'm home. Our large dog and 3 year old also go crazy when someone knocks. I feel rude not answering when someone knows that we're home, but I'm also worried about keeping my very pregnant self and 3 year old safe. This didn't seem to be an issue in my old neighborhood, but between yesterday and today 3 different men have come and knocked on the door. During a recent thunderstorm in the evening while DH was home, someone knocked on the door - the dog went nuts - and when he answered it, there was no one there which was also strange. So, SAHMs, do you answer the door if you don't know who it is? If it matters, it's a townhouse community in Herndon.

great choice of 'hood, OP

WTH?

Anonymous wrote:So weird. I am home and always answer the door. Sometimes I look to see who it is first but I answer it. Never taught the "rule" to not answer. I feel safe.

It's weird.

I feel sorry for people who are so scared all the time.

Anonymous wrote:I remember as a child I took a "short cut" and got lost. I finally got enough nerve to knock on a door to ask for help. There were people home at the first two houses (I heard people talking..etc) but nobody answered. Finally someone answered at the third house and let me call home.

I always answer.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think anyone here is suggesting not opening the door for children. Way to jump the shark.

The one time I answered the door to a stranger, I got served.

I was taught to NEVER open the door. I ignore Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and anyone else who dares knock.

I remember as a child I took a "short cut" and got lost. I finally got enough nerve to knock on a door to ask for help. There were people home at the first two houses (I heard people talking..etc) but nobody answered. Finally someone answered at the third house and let me call home.

I always answer.

I also have a handmade sign I put up. I used to get solicitors at least once a day, oftentimes more until I put up my sign.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So weird. I am home and always answer the door. Sometimes I look to see who it is first but I answer it. Never taught the "rule" to not answer. I feel safe.

Same here. I was beginning to think I was alone.

Me too. It would never occur to me to not answer the door.

Where do you guys live?

I don't answer the door when strangers knock. We have a dog who barks like mad when anyone comes to the door and most people leave without waiting very long after hearing him.

Or, where did you grow up? Maybe you grew up in a smaller town where it was safer to open the door? I grew up in NoVA in the '80s and our rule was to not open the door if our parents were not home and, even if they were home, to let them open the door. I do have friends, however, who did not have this rule, so I understant it was not "universal" or anything around here.

But that rule was for when you were a kid, right? Now you are the adult.

I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and I live in NoVA now.

I just don't think it is a good idea to answer the door when you are home alone...it is a pretty common way that either homes are cased for a later burglary, or it is used as a distraction to break intot he back, or how an actual home invasion starts.

No need for me to answer the door to someone I don't know, most likely they are selling something that I don't need or want.

I answer the door if it's a delivery I'm expecting. I am leaning towards not answering the door on the weekends, either. We usually have kids coming by, so I do need to check if it's a friend. I don't need/want to talk to the home improvement sales people, a political canvasser, magazine salespeople, Boy Scouts, etc while my dogs go insane.