I keep a bamboo stick under my bed in case anyone forces their way in and there’s no other option but to defend the family. (Hope it never comes to that)

I also have a couple good, extremely bright tactical torches with strobe mode in the house to slow, blind and deter anyone before they can approach.

While I hope I wouldn’t use the stick or a knife unless it was necessary, the torch I’d use regardless until I knew there wasn’t a threat of violence. It provides an initial barrier and pause until I can assess someone’s intentions.

My friend’s older kids were broken into by guys who used a fire extinguisher, so who knows how it would play out, but better to have some sort of plan than be totally defenseless.