u/ik0525

Hi Redditors,

Hoping you can help me with some advice. I’m a single mom with an abusive ex-husband, and wanted to know what the best type of surveillance for my home would be. I have young children and want something that is easy to install, simple to use, and not too expensive. I don’t believe my ex-husband will necessarily break in, but he has been involved with shady people in the past (and may still be), and I need to install cameras at least above the front door and the back sliding door so that they serve as deterrents. I also need to make sure that my driveway can be seen, as he has taken off in my vehicle in the past (the police are aware of this). My main concerns are driveway visibility, front door visibility, and back door visibility. I’d also like something that alerts me on my phone if someone breaks in. I am also thinking that I should have a light or two installed which are motion-activated as a deterrent, though perhaps I should also have them installed at the back. I have friends who have Aosu cameras throughout their condo (different setup, I know), and I’ve seen how they monitor their feed on their phones. I don’t need cameras inside, but would feel much safer with them outside.

Any suggestions on:

-          Additional safety measures I can take?

-          Links to a good system that is not very expensive?

Thanks so much.

Hi Redditors,

Hoping you can help me with some advice. I’m a single mom with an abusive ex-husband, and wanted to know what the best type of surveillance for my home would be. I have young children and want something that is easy to install, simple to use, and not too expensive. I don’t believe my ex-husband will necessarily break in, but he has been involved with shady people in the past (and may still be), and I need to install cameras at least above the front door and the back sliding door so that they serve as deterrents. I also need to make sure that my driveway can be seen, as he has taken off in my vehicle in the past (the police are aware of this). My main concerns are driveway visibility, front door visibility, and back door visibility. I’d also like something that alerts me on my phone if someone breaks in. I am also thinking that I should have a light or two installed which are motion-activated as a deterrent, though perhaps I should also have them installed at the back. I have friends who have Aosu cameras throughout their condo (different setup, I know), and I’ve seen how they monitor their feed on their phones. I don’t need cameras inside, but would feel much safer with them outside.

Any suggestions on:

-          Additional safety measures I can take?

-          Links to a good system that is not very expensive?

Thanks so much.

Hi Redditors!

Not sure if I’m posting in the correct subreddit, as maybe this is more of a psychological thing, but hoping for some knowledgeable redditors to reassure me or point me in the right direction.

I’m looking to take my 2 children on a Caribbean cruise at some point late summer, but have hesitated on pulling the trigger on a last-minute booking for a few reasons. The main one is that I am coming off a divorce and have never traveled alone with the kids, even though I’ve cruised many times and used to take the kids on cruises with my ex-husband. My kids are 10 and 5. We’re looking at a Royal Caribbean or MSC ship so the kids have plenty of activities, and as we are in the Northeast US, we would arrive in a hotel the night before. The cruise would likely depart from Fort Lauderdale or Miami, though Orlando is also a possibility.

What suggestions do you have to reassure me that I’ll be able to pull this off without either going crazy or something terrible happening? My kids are well-behaved and there are no diapers, but I’ve actually never traveled “alone” and I’d be fully responsible for two kids. It really freaks me out. The logistics of transferring from the airport to the hotel, then the hotel to the ship the following day, and then to the airport from the ship on the way back really worry me. I’m not a physically strong person (smaller woman, some back pain) and this would involve dealing with large suitcases and other physical tasks. I also think regularly about the plane crashing or getting into a car accident or something similar (though I generally never have these fears), and worry about being alone with the kids and having a health crisis or injury or something happening, and being far from home if this were to happen. I am a very experienced traveler and generally an organized and vigilant person and shouldn’t be so stressed, but traveling with children alone is new for me. Any reassuring stories from people who have managed alone with similarly-aged children? Any suggestions? I’ve thought about perhaps not getting off at the ports to avoid extra stress. Anything to help push me into booking? I really want to do this for them as they both love cruising, but the thought of being alone with them is absolutely scary. Should I also post this in a subreddit for single parenting and/or an anxiety subreddit or something similar? Really thanking you all.