Man At The Window

Tonight I put the boys to bed a little later than usual since they had all taken late naps.  Jonah and Micah had been in bed for about 30 minutes and Noah was still up enjoying some Lego time without little ones crawling all over him.  Joe and I were watching the History channel, and I could hear the younger boys still playing quietly in their beds and had already gone in twice to tell them to go on to sleep.  It was a little after 9:00 when Jonah came out of their bedroom saying that there was a man knocking on his window.  I told him that I was sure there was not and that he needed to go on back to bed and go to sleep.  As I was convincing him to go back to bed, Micah came out of their bedroom saying, man-knock-my-window.  I scolded Jonah for putting ideas into his younger brother's head, took them each by the arm and lead them back to their bedroom.

As I entered the bedroom I heard a noise at the window. I turned to look and there at the window was a light skinned black man with a beard and ball cap, staring back at me.  I let out a scream that I did not even know I had in me and Joe came running.  I'm not sure what I even told him but he went outside to see what was going on.

Turns out it was a man who was looking for Joe to do some hauling for him.  He said he had knocked on the door and no one came, so he went to a window that had some light shining in it to try and get someone.  Are you kidding me?  What person in their right mind goes to a business owner's home, on a holiday, after nine at night, and knocks on their windows, in order to ask them a question about their business?  Our phone numbers are listed everywhere...why not just pick up the phone and call?  If I have anything to say about it (and I am pretty sure I will) we will not be doing any hauling for this man at any time.

After I had recovered from my own near heart attack, I then had to have a heart to heart with my children about safety without scaring them senseless.  They now know that they did the exact right thing by coming to me and that Mommy will definitely listen from this point forward.  They went right to sleep after I had prayed with them, but I have a feeling I will be up for quite a while longer.

Melissa, if you are reading this, I now understand why you do not sleep with your windows open.  I honestly had never even given it any thought.  We live in the country, away from all of the city crazies and crime.  I don't even have a key to the lock on my door and we have always slept with our windows open every time the weather would allow.  After tonight's episode, I am rethinking my stance on that very issue!