[blparent] A Little Scare

Wed Oct 20 14:26:37 UTC 2010

If you own your house or have an accomidating landlord get a deadbolt
where the lock requires a key tolock the door from the outside and you
flip a deadbolt on the inside. In theory, Sarah could lock you out of
the house but it is impossible to accidentally lock yourself out using
this kind of lock as the door must be closed solidly before you can get
the lock to click into place. 
You could also brush your dog indoors and then vacuum when you're done. 
I'd go with these options before I'd leave a key outside, especially as
you've just broadcasted this ona public list. 
Glad everybody is okay.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 6:12 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] A Little Scare

I can just not lock the door and it will stay that way, but it's gotten
to 
be such a habit over the years to always lock it when I get in the
house, so 
it's going to be a big change to stop doing that.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Veronica Smith" <madison_tewe at spinn.net>
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 4:08 PM
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] A Little Scare

> Can you fix your door  so it doesn't automatically lock.  That's what
> happened to me when Gab was a  toddler and I had the lock/door knob 
> changed.
> V
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On
> Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
> Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2010 11:52 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: [blparent] A Little Scare
>
> Sarah and I had a little scare this evening.  I'm writing about it in 
> hopes
> that it might save someone else the trauma.  We're none the worse for 
> wear,
> but unexpected things can happen so quickly you wouldn't believe it.
>
> We went out on the front porch to brush Ballad, my black Labrador
guide 
> dog,
> who is shedding right now like there's no tomorrow.  We'd been out
there a
> half hour or so, with the front door standing open, and Sarah was
playing
> with the combs and brushes.  She had wandered in and out of the house
a 
> few
> times, so I didn't think anything of it.  But then she went in and,
quick 
> as
> a flash, pushed the big wooden front door shut.
>
> Click!  The door was locked.  Sarah was in the house by herself.  I
was on
> the porch with Ballad, but with no harness or leash, no keys, and no
cell
> phone.  Sarah soon got upset, banging on the window by the door and
crying
> for me to let her out.  I was stuck.
>
> I always carry a spare key with me, but it was safely in the diaper
bag,
> which was in the house.  One other person who lives in town nearby has
a
> key, but I had no phone to call her with.  I went to the nearest 
> neighbor's
> house and pounded on his door, but he wasn't home.  I didn't want to
leave
> Sarah alone to go further, looking for another neighbor and not able
to be
> quick about it with no cane or dog, because I thought it would be
worse 
> for
> her if she was by herself and couldn't see or hear me.  Gerald was due

> home
> in about a half an hour, and I knew it would take nearly that long for
my
> friend with the key to wake up since she works nights, drive over to
my
> house, and let me in.  So I decided that the best plan was to keep
Sarah
> near the window where she could see me, and where I could hear her and

> know
> she was all right.  If it were going to be longer than a half an hour,
I
> would have gone as far as need be to find a phone and called my friend
or
> the police department.
>
> Let me tell you, that was the longest half hour I've ever lived
through.
> Sarah was crying and yelling inside the house the whole time, begging
me 
> to
> open the door.  I just kept as calm outwardly as I could and talked to

> her,
> tapping on the window so she would look out at me and telling her that
> everything would be okay, that the door was locked and I couldn't open
it
> but Daddy would be coming home soon with the keys.  Inwardly, I felt
like 
> I
> was about to lose my mind.
>
> Gerald arrived as expected, and Sarah was fine.  She was easily
consoled,
> but she was pretty clingy all evening, and she's woke up calling for
me 
> once
> already since I put her to bed.  (Boy, does that make me feel like the
> mother of the year or what?)  All's well that ends well, but I can say
for
> sure, I'll be having another key made this weekend and hiding it
somewhere
> outside.  I've never felt so helpless.  I wanted to smash through the 
> window
> and get inside to my crying baby any way I could.  I'm feeling weepy
just
> thinking about it.  I'm already a plan for everything type, thinking
of 
> what
> could happen and bringing extra stuff with me just in case, but I'm
sure
> I'll be even more that way for some time to come.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
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