teen girlA 13-year-old girl near Sacramento, California is probably still a little shaken up by her experience Tuesday morning. Sophie Castaneda was just getting ready for school like she always does, home alone, when she heard a noise at the door.

Someone wouldn't stop knocking on her front door. (The best part about that is that she describes the knocks as "girly." I have no idea what that means, but I love it.) Then, suddenly she heard glass break.

Someone had busted through her family room window. Scared, Sophie ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and hid in the shower. Then the stranger tried to open the bathroom door. They persisted until they were able to get in.

Sophie says: "I was thinking that I was going to die. I was thinking what my mom would be thinking if she found me dead in the bathtub."

Then the burglar and her came face to face as he stared her down in the tub. It sounds intense -- Sophie says they locked eyes for 5 seconds that probably felt like an eternity -- and then he fled out the backdoor.

This young teen is braver than most, huh? Her mom says she keeps telling her daughter how amazing she is, and I agree. After the burglar left, Sophie called 911 and then her mother.

Interestingly enough, this is the second time in three months that their home has been broken into, so hopefully, after Sophie's encounter, the burglars will leave this family alone. As a parent, I'd be horrified that my young teen daughter had to go through such a thing and would do everything in my power to make sure she feels safe again. I'm sure Sophie's mom feels the same way.

But the moral of the story? If you hear a girlish knock, stare down the predator. Stare, him, down.

How would you handle this situation as a parent?

 

Photo via CBS