Long story short is we were burglarized in August and have been very seriously considering how we manage people coming near or in our home. (Worse, this is the second time it's happened to me!)
It's very concerning to us how easy it is for people to figure our work schedules, know when we're gone, look around our home, etc. Even something simple like letting the cable guy in is scary to me-- he can see our electronics, kitchen appliances, where a jewlery box is, etc. Even scarier, they can see that we have kids, or can even see our kids. Every parent's worst nightmare is having something happen to their child, and right now our antennae are totally perked up because someone broke in.
We've already gone over other considerations (alarms, cameras, safes, etc.) but have recently been talking about the topic of confirming identities of people who come into our home. For example, requesting to see, and copy, the Driver's License of the Home Depot guy who comes to fix our door, or the painter who comes after that. It's not that I'm going to run the ID or anything (ok, I may check the state child predator list...), but I feel like that might be handy to have for the police in the event something happens later. It might also be a handy way to ensure you're getting someone with good intentions.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Is there another way that you all handle comfirming just who is coming into your home?
I know there are a lot of contractors on here-- would you be totally pissed off if someone asked you for valid ID before working in/on their home?
I'm really just batting around ideas on a good, professional, courteous way to manage my home and still be safe and protective of my family. Yes, I understand time might make me a little less worried, and no I don't want to live in a constant state of fear, but perhaps there's a simple middle ground?....that's what I'm interested in.
It's very concerning to us how easy it is for people to figure our work schedules, know when we're gone, look around our home, etc. Even something simple like letting the cable guy in is scary to me-- he can see our electronics, kitchen appliances, where a jewlery box is, etc. Even scarier, they can see that we have kids, or can even see our kids. Every parent's worst nightmare is having something happen to their child, and right now our antennae are totally perked up because someone broke in.
We've already gone over other considerations (alarms, cameras, safes, etc.) but have recently been talking about the topic of confirming identities of people who come into our home. For example, requesting to see, and copy, the Driver's License of the Home Depot guy who comes to fix our door, or the painter who comes after that. It's not that I'm going to run the ID or anything (ok, I may check the state child predator list...), but I feel like that might be handy to have for the police in the event something happens later. It might also be a handy way to ensure you're getting someone with good intentions.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Is there another way that you all handle comfirming just who is coming into your home?
I know there are a lot of contractors on here-- would you be totally pissed off if someone asked you for valid ID before working in/on their home?
I'm really just batting around ideas on a good, professional, courteous way to manage my home and still be safe and protective of my family. Yes, I understand time might make me a little less worried, and no I don't want to live in a constant state of fear, but perhaps there's a simple middle ground?....that's what I'm interested in.