to hope I am not the only single parent/person to sometimes feel a little afraid of being at home alone at nightime?

[SoleSource]

,Had a bit of a frightening experience last night. Woken up from sleep at 4am by warring neighbours tben unrelated blood curdling screaming from a female at the bottom of our long road.

Asode from doors/windows locked, curyaibs/blinds drawn etc

Do you take any other safety precautions?

I take my mobile phone to bed and shout who is it, agressively if a stranger knocks my door.

Good idea hopefully you will keep well for a long long time at least my worries have had a positive effect

I was a LP in the days before mobiles and when I couldnt afford a landline. I used to get terrible frights. I ended up getting panic attacks and once got my son up at 3am and walked 15 minutes to my parents rather than stay in my house alone, they were thrilled!

In the end I used to leave the lights on all over the house, as it was the only way I felt safe.

Do what you have to.

Yeah think Ill teach the oldest how to use my mobile to ring his dad in an emergency

scratch that 999 would be more useful lol!

Lol ike1

How old is your oldest?

8 so its about time I put precautions in place! He knows how to pLay gmes on it!

I found the first few months on my own very hard.

It was quite a shock as being home alone never bothered me before, stbXh worked til the early hours most weekends and it never occurred to me to be nervous on my own.

That's even after we were burgled. (The vile bastards even looked through my bed )

I have a dog so evenings were ok but I found going to bed very eerie. I just kept forcing myself to do everything the same way I always have and I'm back to normal now.

I had a bit of a wobble last week when there were 3 motiveless arson attacks one street away all in one week, but I other than that I don't really think about it.

The only thing I do any differently is I always wear pyjamas now. Yes it's uncomfortable but it's worth it for the peace of mind. Evacuating my house or fending off an intruder is one thing, but I'm sure as shit not doing it in the nip!

I'm about to move into my first house that hasn't either been an apartment with security or a house in a gated compound. As a child there was always an adult home so it didn't really bother me living in a "normal" house.

I'm scared of the dark and DH will travel a lot.

We're planning a house alarm, to get a dog (though this won't be for another year or two as I want to wait until the DC are older) and I suppose I'll need to do learn to do a door & window check before bed.

I'm not a single parent but I am still scared of the house at night. We have a dog but she's useless dozy. Right now I'm downstairs with the dog and DP is asleep as are the DCs. When I turn the lights off I will run upstairs.

I am a grown woman who has lived alone (with the DC's and DP) for five years and in this house for nearly two of those years.

When Ex-H left I got really paranoid so I kept a can of hairspray and a lighter by the bed. I thought an ersatz flame-thrower would put anyone off. It helped me feel less afraid. I also took up kick-boxing. I got pretty good in the end. I would have had a dog but no time or space for one.

I take my phone and keys to bed. Ground floor apartment, if I heard something I can go out the window, and then still have keys to my car so somewhere safe to go.
Woken up one night by what sounded like someone running along hallway then I heard something smash. Launched myself out bedroom window in vest and knickers to find all the neighbours outside going "did you hear that earthquake?!"
To make it worse I forgot my keys so had to inelegantly scramble arse first back in through the window

When was staying at my mums they were burgled came through door ( Jenmed) it went in front room took car Keys laptops bags etc and TV plus my lads jeans of floot what was more scarey was both my teenage sons were asleep downstairs on the sofas !!!

I discovered it when went down at 5am to get a drink and notice door open . My eldest was so upset he had not woke up I reassured him that even if he had I much rather he would pretend be asleep ( he was 16 at time a tall lad )
His jeans found outside Gate they must been disappointed all got was snotty tissues

5 house were done that night and in one whets someone woke up they got beaten

Police said were proffesionals car stealing to order ( we're all mpv or good cars )

I never slept again well at night till we moved .

When was staying at my mums they were burgled came through door ( Jenmed) it went in front room took car Keys laptops bags etc and TV plus my lads jeans of floot what was more scarey was both my teenage sons were asleep downstairs on the sofas !!!

I discovered it when went down at 5am to get a drink and notice door open . My eldest was so upset he had not woke up I reassured him that even if he had I much rather he would pretend be asleep ( he was 16 at time a tall lad )
His jeans found outside Gate they must been disappointed all got was snotty tissues

5 house were done that night and in one whets someone woke up they got beaten

Police said were proffesionals car stealing to order ( we're all mpv or good cars )

I never slept again well at night till we moved .

I have a ludicrously overactive imagination. Like a small child. I get nervous even when DH is here if I have to go downstairs alone and I cannot wait for next month when he will hopefully no longer have to travel overnight for work any more.

I find the house alarm is an enormous comfort.

I also keep the baby gates locked on the stairs and my wallet and car keys are on the hall stand so if anyone did break in, they would have no incentive to stay long or go upstairs. It's not losing stuff I worry about it's serial killers.

But do sleep ok now . I check before I go to bed and ds1 does another check before he goes ( he 18 now ) but am slightly more alerty to noise when he not home worry about as have ds2 at 15 over 6 foot who would feel his job to protect me and dd and ds3 ( I'm in a chair Di not much cop )

But on a seperate note . Everyone should take their mobile phone upstairs . In event of a fire your house phone may go of ( depending where fire and box Is ) and it helps and saves vital time if trapped that firemen know which room you are in

Dh works til 11 ish, so alone all evening. Was doing ok, until dh came in to dd's bedroom freking out the other night. Goosebumps, the lot! I asked what was up and he said "you don't want to know!" I made him tell me and immediately wished I hadn't, he said "I heard, a voice" So now I am bloody terrified!

You're all freaking me out now! I've lived on my own for 13ish years but I do still get scared sometimes. One of my neighbours regularly gets completely arseholed and brings men back for erm....services. It's not unusual for random pissheads to bang my door in the early hours thinking its her house. Sometimes she comes stumbling up the street and starts yelling at nothing and breaking her windows too...that doesn't scare me but it's a nuisance.

I always do a door and window check before bed, have an alarm. Take my landline and mobile to bed plus keys. I have a dog now too, he would be bloody useless really as he wants to play with everyone but he's a barker at the slightest noise and sounds like a really big dog (he's not, he's a little tubby thing). Teenage ds was nearly a black belt when he quit karate but he'd prob be useless too, he's still scared of his own shadow!

That's why mum has a metal bar under the bed

I don't like being alone at night either.
We live in an old house and the creaks and squeaks are many and noisy in the wee small hours.
What I find helpful is having the radio tuned in to some chat programme at night and I leave it on low all night.
I find this both covers the noises and is a distraction as often it's your mind working overtime rather than any real threat that scares you witless.

On the subject of worrying about dying and what would happen to kids - I have a good friend who is also a single parent. We have a deal that we text each other every day, and if there's no response after a few texts, we have emergency contact numbers for each other.

Well, I get teary and slightly terrified looking at pictures of shipwrecks (jesus christ that Titanic issue of NatGeo was the worst) and the very idea of underwater Google Images, so you bet I'm a wimp when it comes to being home alone! I don't mind rivers, it's just the sea- specially clear seas where you swim over great huge dark patches. I love looking at it though, on the surface

When I was little I was a bit obsessive about making sure all the doors/windows were shut, and I was scared stiff about shutting one particular door and looking inside to check it was empty because the walls are at awkward angles and there's an alcove, obviously perfect for hosting some vicious escaped murderer. Sometimes I got so scared in bed I just went and sat at the foot of the stairs in the light that came up from the hall until I had to scurry back at the speed of light at the sound of someone starting up the stairs, or got so worked up that I was running downstairs crying to my dad in the living room. Like a lot of kids I spose. Kinda grew out of it but I can still get super scared in an instant. It's why, when I visit family and share a room with my cousins, I don't mind at all. At least there's someone in the bunk beneath. And you know that the small someone jumping on you at 5 o'clock in the morning and demanding a game will be around the next night to take Rrreevenge on!
Also couldn't sleep in the dark for ages and ages after a Brownie visit to the fire station. I thought "it is inevitable, absolutely inevitable that everyone has some kind of disaster in their life- mine will be a fire" I was a cheery kiddy obviously.

Yes, I'm 4yrs in and still constantly scared. Not helped by regular burglaries in this area, including finding one lad in my garden once. I have seriously thought about getting a dog but I work and have problems with dog poo so it really isn't practical.

What I have done is;
Small garden light always on
Big sensor operated garden light
Porch light
Stair light left on
Mobile next to bed
Downstairs windows locked
Stairgate closed so I can hear it click when the mad axe murderer opens it or falls over it.
Doors always double locked and garden gate locked too.

I often hear noises and am to be found downstairs checking everything and turning lights on. I'm not a great sleeper these days.

I used to live in a rough area in south London and was mugged on my way home once... the police came to my house afterwards as the guys had stolen my keys and I was very anxious before I could change the locks and the police said the best thing you can do if you hear someone in your home is to barricade yourself in the bathroom after shouting out very loudly that you've called the police ... even if you actually haven't been able to. They also said make sure you sleep with your phone by your bed.

My friend woke up to find someone in her bedroom once looking through her things and the nastiest part was that he took her
glasses from the side of her bed so she couldn't wake and put them on and see him. Nasty nasty. He jumped out of the window when she screamed.

I am married but when dh works late I absolutely shit myself even though we have now moved out of London.

My DP is abroad about six months of the year and I was very scared when I first moved into his house. I was living in a flat on my own before but it seemed safer as there were people all around me and I was never scared. My DP also had a terrifying break-in soon before I moved in, won't go into it but it was horrible and freaked me out.

Anyway I'm getting much better when he's away. Thanks to the break-in we have doors no-one could break down, masses of locks and a good alarm. I religiously check the locks on everything and put on the downstairs alarm every night before bed. I do get wobbly occasionally but I tell myself no-one can creep up on me and if the alarm sounds I'm barricading myself in the bedroom, calling 999 and hiding under the bed.

fairylea

That's awful! like a horror film