Things That Go Bump in the Night

Song Lyric of the Day:

All I want is to be left alone in my average home / But why do I always feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone, and / I always feel like somebody’s watching me

Rockwell (featuring Michael Jackson) / “Somebody’s Watching Me

A few weeks ago Coraline started exhibiting some anxiety about how safe our house is. She was convinced someone — a “bad guy” — was going to break in. Rich and I were asked on an almost daily basis what would happen if someone broke into our house. She would also obsess over noises, needing to know exactly what she was hearing and from where in the house the sound originated. It wasn’t uncommon for her to hear a thump or a lawnmower start and fly across the room into our arms. Her anxiety would ratchet up at bedtime, almost like clockwork. Rich and I did our best to reassure her that our house is secure, that our dogs would never let anyone get to her, and that Mommy and Daddy would never let anyone hurt her, either. Even Buster the Attack Cat would help keep her safe. We went through all the measures we take to keep her safe, including keeping our house secure, and it seems like that finally sunk in for her. This is where I’d like to point out that for all the horror movies and scary shows I watch (The Fall almost gave me nightmares), I always wait to watch them until after she’s in bed for the night. If I didn’t, her anxieties would be pretty damn specific, with her maybe mentioning a certain hockey-mask wearer or cave-dwelling creatures or demon-possessed dolls or Bughuul.

It’s been a while now since Coraline has mentioned the “bad guy” and her anxiety seems to have completely faded. Unfortunately, now my and Rich’s anxiety about home security has ratcheted up. It seems as if crime in Knoxville is on the rise of late, with the news (and friends and colleagues) reporting about home invasions, car break-ins, and robberies on an almost-daily basis. Some of that crime has hit frighteningly close to home, so we’ve been taking measures to not only improve existing security measures, but to bring about a bit of peace of mind, for all of us.

I’m trying not to let my own increased anxiety affect Coraline. Rich and I never discuss certain things around her since the child hears everything, and while I’m doing my best to remain extra vigilant, I don’t let her see the measures I’m taking to do so. It’s a fine line to walk these days: We need to live our life, but also be aware of everything going on around our property and in our neighborhood. Times like these remind me to be grateful we have the kind of neighbors and neighborhood where we all watch out for each other. At least the bad guys haven’t robbed us of our sense of community.

Jamie Dornan as creepy-ass Paul Spector in The Fall

Did I mention The Fall almost gave me nightmares? That show had me scared to go to the bathroom. For reals.

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