Comments on: Relative Safety http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/ Parenting, Politics and News for the Perfectly Challenged Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:58:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Mommy off the Record http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10518 Mommy off the Record Thu, 30 Nov 2006 01:19:23 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10518 My car door won't even open from the outside anymore because it broke. We always have to lean over to open the passanger door from the inside. Sometimes I think the old-fashioned locks weren't only easier to use, but they worked better! My car door won’t even open from the outside anymore because it broke. We always have to lean over to open the passanger door from the inside. Sometimes I think the old-fashioned locks weren’t only easier to use, but they worked better!

]]> By: Ortizzle http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10381 Ortizzle Wed, 29 Nov 2006 03:38:39 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10381 A female thing? Yeah, I think women are naturally more defensive in that respect because most of us are physically more vulnerable, particularly if we haven't had any self-defense training in the martial arts. Personally I am paranoid as hell, but that's probably from being dragged from a moving car by purse-snatchers who nearly ran over my head, and held up at knife point at an ATM. Both instances ocurred in broad daylight. I don't wanna tell ya how I would feel about finding myself lost in a dicey neighborhood at night. So.. personally, I can say that regardless of how much sense it might make to leave the doors unlocked in case of an emergency, my fear of being car-jacked or worse wins out every time. A female thing? Yeah, I think women are naturally more defensive in that respect because most of us are physically more vulnerable, particularly if we haven’t had any self-defense training in the martial arts. Personally I am paranoid as hell, but that’s probably from being dragged from a moving car by purse-snatchers who nearly ran over my head, and held up at knife point at an ATM. Both instances ocurred in broad daylight. I don’t wanna tell ya how I would feel about finding myself lost in a dicey neighborhood at night.

So.. personally, I can say that regardless of how much sense it might make to leave the doors unlocked in case of an emergency, my fear of being car-jacked or worse wins out every time.

]]> By: mothergoosemouse http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10367 mothergoosemouse Wed, 29 Nov 2006 01:28:18 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10367 My oldest and dearest friend always commented about how we locked ourselves IN our house. She'd try to exit through our back door, and I'd have to hand her the key for the deadbolt. At home, I almost always remember to make my rounds before bed, locking all the doors. You'd think it would be Kyle's job, but I guess I'm the paranoid one. I've actually thought about the car windows too, especially if the car was submerged in water. Would the power windows short out? What about the locks? I trust that the car manufacturers have thought of such things, but that doesn't stop me from wondering now and then. My oldest and dearest friend always commented about how we locked ourselves IN our house. She’d try to exit through our back door, and I’d have to hand her the key for the deadbolt.

At home, I almost always remember to make my rounds before bed, locking all the doors. You’d think it would be Kyle’s job, but I guess I’m the paranoid one.

I’ve actually thought about the car windows too, especially if the car was submerged in water. Would the power windows short out? What about the locks? I trust that the car manufacturers have thought of such things, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering now and then.

]]> By: Platypus http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10347 Platypus Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:36:15 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10347 I was brought up to lock everything, all the time. Doors and windows even when inside the house, the car when I'm driving and even my phone and PC workstation every time I leave my desk. My sister on the other hand, routinely goes on holiday and although she locks her front door, isn't remotely fussed that the back door's unlocked. I think it is more of a general female thing but it's also a personality thing. I was brought up to lock everything, all the time. Doors and windows even when inside the house, the car when I’m driving and even my phone and PC workstation every time I leave my desk. My sister on the other hand, routinely goes on holiday and although she locks her front door, isn’t remotely fussed that the back door’s unlocked. I think it is more of a general female thing but it’s also a personality thing.

]]> By: Annie http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10290 Annie Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:35:15 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10290 My Dad was a cop, so I'm aware of the dangers within and without. I also grew up in suburban New York, so I believe in locking everything. My husband, raised outside St Louis, does not. I can't even get him to carry a damned house key most of the time. So, rather than locking him out and incurring his wrath, I don't lock the doors as often as I would like. He did give me a hard time a few years ago about locking the doors when I was in the apartment until we watched a local news story about a guy walking into unlocked apartments during the day and raping women. He then agreed the doors were better locked. I also lock the car doors because my kid sister once fell out of the car from the seat next to me. Traumatic. It's also harder to carjack someone with locked doors. My Dad was a cop, so I’m aware of the dangers within and without. I also grew up in suburban New York, so I believe in locking everything. My husband, raised outside St Louis, does not. I can’t even get him to carry a damned house key most of the time. So, rather than locking him out and incurring his wrath, I don’t lock the doors as often as I would like. He did give me a hard time a few years ago about locking the doors when I was in the apartment until we watched a local news story about a guy walking into unlocked apartments during the day and raping women. He then agreed the doors were better locked.

I also lock the car doors because my kid sister once fell out of the car from the seat next to me. Traumatic. It’s also harder to carjack someone with locked doors.

]]> By: V-Grrrl http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10289 V-Grrrl Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:48:43 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10289 My husband is a neurotic locker. We've always lived a white bread suburban existence, and yet he locks everything all the time, convinced we're in danger. In Virginia, he would chastise me for not having the doors DEADBOLTED when I was at home during the day with the kids (they were locked at the door knob, but not bolted). He locked the car inside the locked garage and hated the fact that I kept my purse inside the car. He hated to have windows open in the house and wouldn't go to bed at night with a window open anywhere. I have no idea why he's so convinced someone is always lurking just outside the door ready to slit our throats. It makes me nuts--not just dealing with the locks but with his paranoia. The irony? Now we live in a house with an alarm system. I like to always set the alarm when we leave the house because there have been seven robberies in the neighborhood in the last year. My husband? Sometimes he sets it, more often he does not! My husband is a neurotic locker. We’ve always lived a white bread suburban existence, and yet he locks everything all the time, convinced we’re in danger.

In Virginia, he would chastise me for not having the doors DEADBOLTED when I was at home during the day with the kids (they were locked at the door knob, but not bolted). He locked the car inside the locked garage and hated the fact that I kept my purse inside the car. He hated to have windows open in the house and wouldn’t go to bed at night with a window open anywhere. I have no idea why he’s so convinced someone is always lurking just outside the door ready to slit our throats. It makes me nuts–not just dealing with the locks but with his paranoia.

The irony? Now we live in a house with an alarm system. I like to always set the alarm when we leave the house because there have been seven robberies in the neighborhood in the last year. My husband? Sometimes he sets it, more often he does not!

]]> By: Arabella http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10233 Arabella Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:33:17 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10233 Hmmm. Food for thought. I'm very pro-locking things. I think, in general, that women are more pro-locking things than men. I also think that, even though we're considered the less violent sex, plenty of us have an innate willingness to flail about and/or break things in an emergency. For example, if I were locked in a car, I wouldn't hesitate to try to break a window. Hmmm. Food for thought. I’m very pro-locking things. I think, in general, that women are more pro-locking things than men. I also think that, even though we’re considered the less violent sex, plenty of us have an innate willingness to flail about and/or break things in an emergency. For example, if I were locked in a car, I wouldn’t hesitate to try to break a window.

]]> By: Jessica http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10231 Jessica Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:43:13 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10231 Well I'm afraid of the internal and external, so I'm a mess all the way around. I do think fear and safety are products of our environment, our gender, how we were raised and our experiences. How could it not be? Obviously, as a female, I fear walking alone at night more than a man might. Also, growing up, I was always told a locked door only keeps an honest man out. I still believe that, however, after living in a huge city for so many years and driving around in dangerous neighborhoods, that theory just didn't seem as sound as it did out in the woods. It's all relative. Well I’m afraid of the internal and external, so I’m a mess all the way around.

I do think fear and safety are products of our environment, our gender, how we were raised and our experiences. How could it not be?

Obviously, as a female, I fear walking alone at night more than a man might. Also, growing up, I was always told a locked door only keeps an honest man out. I still believe that, however, after living in a huge city for so many years and driving around in dangerous neighborhoods, that theory just didn’t seem as sound as it did out in the woods. It’s all relative.

]]> By: Prescott http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10161 Prescott Tue, 28 Nov 2006 04:38:11 +0000 http://blog.imperfectparent.com/2006/11/27/relative-safety/#comment-10161 I don't know if it's a male/female thing in general, but I seem to think more about how to react to an emergency than how to prevent the emergency in the first place. Guess that somewhat falls in line with your husband's thinking. My paranoid quirk is that if my wife is 30 minutes late and I can't reach her on her cell, I have to physically restrain myself from starting to call area hospitals and police. I don’t know if it’s a male/female thing in general, but I seem to think more about how to react to an emergency than how to prevent the emergency in the first place. Guess that somewhat falls in line with your husband’s thinking.

My paranoid quirk is that if my wife is 30 minutes late and I can’t reach her on her cell, I have to physically restrain myself from starting to call area hospitals and police.

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