sometimes I worry

Both my hubby & I work nights (gone for 12 hours) 3-4 nights a week. I worry about our cats. You see, we have a family next door who has 2 teenage kids who look like they are out of high school now. We come home for lunch on the days we work, and almost every night they are out hanging around their vehicles with a ton of friends. Now, tell me: do you think they know we work nights, or do you think they really don't think of it? I mean, they watch us come home & leave. Of course, we stay up late on our days that we don't work, and I know they see me leaving the house to go get something to eat. I don't know..... I just worry that they might get into our house and hurt the cats and take our stuff. We live in a fairly safe neighborhood... it was build in 1997, and we have lived in there since our house was built in 1997. Plus, the PD is only 2 seconds away from us. I have thought of calling the PD & tellng them we work nights & if they can patrol the neighborhood, but what good would that do? I certainly don't want to start problems. I worry not only about our bengals, but about Fluffy & Cinnamon who are declawed in the front. I really try not to worry.... After all, maybe the kids next door don't even think twice about us.

I just had to let this out, especially since Tuesday's attack. You know it didn't really *affect* me until Tuesday night when we came home from work early.... that is when I got scared..... what if they decide to attack the West Coast next?

Try not to worry so much dearest. Are your neighbours respectable people??? Maybe their kids really never think twice about you. Informing the police seems a good idea though - if they can patrol near your place at night this would be grear.
Hope nothing of the kind happens - my best wishes to you, hubby and the critters (BTW I visited your site - you've some lovely furballs)

Billie,
Thanks for the compliments on my furballs! As for our neighbors.. we don't know any of them. Seems kind of strange, but if you ask me our neighborhood isn't the friendliest. No one really says hi, but then again, we work nights. The mom & dad of the kids have said Hi to me & I usually say Hi or wave back, but that is about it. Tonight, I went to Dairy Queen, and the kids & their friends were all hanging out.... so my husband watched as I left the house. He said it looks as if they have nothing better to do than to hang out.

But, I don't always worry. It's like I told a co-worker at work... You can't live your life in fear, or you'd go crazy!

Thanks for listening!

You're welcome angel!
I know how you feel - I also worry over such things sometimes

The kids aren't terribly likely to do something in their own neighborhood where their parents might see it. If the cats don't go out, they're as safe as can be. Not just safe from the kids, either!

However, even if they are good kids, I must admit that I might let the PD know there is a group of teenagers that hangs out on my block at night, esp. if it's after 10 or 11. Young people seem to be sort of magnets for difficult issues, and even if they are not dangerous, they can still get themselves into trouble if they are not supervised.

Or maybe you can talk politely to the parents about it, perhaps they are more supervised than it appears. I wouldn't mention the cats, just concerns about the safety of young people and that sort of thing. Otherwise they will feel like you are accusing them of something even if you don't actually say so.

A third possibility is to actually meet the kids. You might find out they aren't that bad, or you might get a reputation for being an okay adult. Then even if someone were to bring up your empty house, someone else is likely to say, "Naw, they're cool, leave 'em alone."

Good luck with that.

I have suspicious looking neighbors, too. They are young and don't seem to have jobs or go to school. I lock the doors even if I am going out to work in my yard or garden. I keep hoping they move but other than being lazy and ragged looking, I guess they are decent people. One neighbor thinks they are on drugs but I think she is always suspecting things like that.

I would keep everything locked and keep a light on inside at night. Maybe even leave a radio or TV on while you are away. At least these teenagers have parents. The ones beside me are living together without parents. I guess someone must be paying their living expenses.

You may also want to invest in some more advanced security measures. I really can't judge the level of real threat that you have there, but it may be best for your peace of mind.

Anne,
We are going to buy one of those security doors for the front door when we get some $$$. We've been wanting one for a long time, not just for security purposes, but also for when it rains & gets cooler out! Then we can have some fresh air!

The people diagnonal from us, I think it is just a bunch of kids or people in my age ranging from 19-22 because they, too, hang out with the 2 kinds next door to us. I don't think they (the people diagnoal from us) have parents... never see them. Then, the house a few houses down from us, is also a bunch of kids! And, they also hang out with each other. Not sure whether to be suspicous or not..... I have found broken beer bottles in my backyard & cigarette boxes thrown over! Also, we have a homeowners association, & we have seen beer cases & broken beer bottles & cans in the middle of the road. So, who knows?

Sounds like the whole homeowners' association needs to say something.

I don't know what your neighborhood is like, but I hear that in the inner city crime goes down when people spend time on their stoops and porches. I'm sure you live in the suburbs, but I'm thinking that maybe if some of you homeowners decide to simply sit in your yards in the evening after dinner or whatever, that it would discourage the kids from hanging around in your neighborhood.

But I still think your best bet is to alert the cops so they can at least send a car through your neighborhood now and again. Esp. if they are dinking in the street, which is illegal in many places, and which I remember doing when I was under age . . .

Tigger, I can understand totally why you would worry about this...I am sure I would, too...but as someone else mentioned, I don't think they are likely to cause any trouble so close to their own home. But I also think it wouldn't hurt to just ask the police to drive by once in awhile whhen you are gone, they shouldn't mind, and noone has to know that you asked them to. I hope this helps.

I just wonder though, if I call the PD, if those kids will start to suspect something? That is the least thing I want to happen, is for them to suspect us. I don't want to cause trouble, either!

I realize that you folks live in a different country and all...but maybe the past week's events have you over-reacting just a bit??

You say your neighborhood is not very friendly..well I wonder if they don't feel the same way. Someone suggested talking to the group of kids and I agree with that. Not a lecture or suspicion...just a friendly smile and greeting to begin. Learn the lesson that New York is teaching...not everyone is our enemy. The most unlikely folks are pulling together there. Perhaps you can ask them what they are thinking of that?? You might even find a bunch of good,caring people who will become your friends. Enough hatred and suspicion already.

No, I don't feel that I am over-racting..... I've been worried about this for sometime now! And, I don't have hatered towards them, either. I never stated that anywhere in my post.

Kittyfoot,

I have lived in both the US and Canada (Sudbury, ON and Sept-Iles, PQ) and I know this sounds strange, but I find teenagers much more threatening in the US than I do in Canada. I don't know why that is, and it's a generality so obviously not all of them. There is such a culture of rudeness, lawlessness and death among young people in many places; American teens scare me because they seem to feel there is nothing to lose and the rules don't apply to them. I have not noticed this attitude in general among Canadians.

Actually, I miss Canada a great deal and if I could manage it, I'd dig up my old emigration papers and move back - but hubby hates the cold weather, so not very likely!

Tigger...sorry,I didn't mean that you hated the kids. I can't know what your neighbourhood is like;let alone your neighbours. But I do remember what it was like to be young (yes,I can remember back THAT far..grin)and looked at suspiciously whenever some of us met to talk. Remember that teens are caught in the middle..too old for kid games but too young to be sure of how to be an adult..and afraid to admit just how scary that feels. Once they get out of kindergarten we seem to assume that kids will behave and react as an adult would,but we never show them how. You know them better than I do,but those kids just might appreciate a friendly greeting once in awhile.

Also,from reading your other posts it seems to me that your stress levels are very high and starting to feed on themselves. This is not a criticism but an expression of concern. The previous levels plus the terrible strains of the past week may be getting bad enough to affect your health. Think about seeing your family doctor before they get too much for you.

Sunlion..I know what you mean,I think it may be because of the gun factor. We hear more about USA teens involved with guns than Canadians. The movie portrayals don't help much either.