What airports do these people fly out of?! When I fly with the kids if they set off the scanner for the 'random picks' they let either my husband or I do the pat down rather than the kids. The TSA people give them crayons to color while we are getting patted down, etc.

Do I just live in the best airport ever or what?

I am not sure I would have avoided jail time if this had occurred with my child. 

We have been very fortunate and had only good experiences with the kids and TSA. I call the kids my "get out of jail free" cards because the TSOs usually give them big smiles and wave them through. 

However, I am not lying when I say that if an adult was to get in the face of my 4yo and speak in an intimidating or threatening manner AND not let me go near my own child, I would get physical. I actually had a visceral reaction while reading this story, shifted around in my seat, and balled one hand into a fist without realizing what I was doing. .

is_it_over_yet?:

We have been very fortunate and had only good experiences with the kids and TSA. I call the kids my "get out of jail free" cards because the TSOs usually give them big smiles and wave them through. 

However, I am not lying when I say that if an adult was to get in the face of my 4yo and speak in an intimidating or threatening manner AND not let me go near my own child, I would get physical. I actually had a visceral reaction while reading this story, shifted around in my seat, and balled one hand into a fist without realizing what I was doing. .

YES.  This.  And excuse me, but if they followed procedure - why did a manager have to intervene to basically throw out the agents' decision on its ear and allow Ms. High Security Threat on her merry way?  They did NOT act appropriately.  

I know it's an anecdote from a woman on FB and it could certainly use verification - but DAMN.  It definitely makes a mom's hackles rise. 

DruidPrincess:

is_it_over_yet?:

We have been very fortunate and had only good experiences with the kids and TSA. I call the kids my "get out of jail free" cards because the TSOs usually give them big smiles and wave them through. 

However, I am not lying when I say that if an adult was to get in the face of my 4yo and speak in an intimidating or threatening manner AND not let me go near my own child, I would get physical. I actually had a visceral reaction while reading this story, shifted around in my seat, and balled one hand into a fist without realizing what I was doing. .

YES.  This.  And excuse me, but if they followed procedure - why did a manager have to intervene to basically throw out the agents' decision on its ear and allow Ms. High Security Threat on her merry way?  They did NOT act appropriately.  

I know it's an anecdote from a woman on FB and it could certainly use verification - but DAMN.  It definitely makes a mom's hackles rise. 

It might be anecdotal, but all the bad TSA experiences are b/c nobody around you is going to grab their cell phone and start videotaping the craziness or they too won't be allowed on their flight. 

Crazy to think that the TSA people wouldn't just allow the mom to hold the daughter and then they could both go through pat-down again.  That seems reasonable and I'm guessing any mom wouldn't mind a pat-down to help their child through the process?!

DruidPrincess:

Oh honey, I'd have been cuffed by now.

Understatement of the year. I wish a mfer would.

MrDobalina:

I don't know if I believe this whole story...there have been other somewhat exaggerated stories of TSA malfeasance that proved to have another side to the story.

TBH, I also wondered about this just because it seems so... I don't know, extreme.  Then again, if I hadn't seen actual video of the new mother in Arizona being mistreated over her breastmilk, I would have doubted that one, too.  Given that TSA has a track record of serious shananigans, I'm inclined to believe the worst until evidence to the contrary emerges.

MrDobalina:

I don't know if I believe this whole story...there have been other somewhat exaggerated stories of TSA malfeasance that proved to have another side to the story.

I could see the policy being that if people touch, and only one has been screened, that leads to more patdowns.  That kind of makes sense, even with the young age.  I could see a policy that if you're getting extra screening, you don't have further contact with the people you're traveling with.  So far, that kind of makes sense.

Add on top of that a TSO, just robotically doing their job, treating the child just like an adult, as in, coldly.  Sit here, wait, spread your legs, etc, and you get the makings of a scared hysterical child.  And the more upset they are (vocal, running away), the more you institute increased security measures.  

I'm sure by the letter of the policy, the agents were correct.  But anyone with half a brain should know how to prevent an escalation like this. Anyone who's been in the presence of children knows that telling them to stop crying only makes it worse.

Delurking. I just had to comment on this story.  I've flown 7 round trips with my DD, including one internationally, and we've been treated with the utmost respect by TSA and airline agents. 

In fact, I have had TSA agents help me carry things through the to be scanned and collapse my stroller when I was flying alone with DD.  I just can't imagine where these people are flying, or if they just lose it and cause part of the problem themselves. 

is_it_over_yet?:

MrDobalina:

I don't know if I believe this whole story...there have been other somewhat exaggerated stories of TSA malfeasance that proved to have another side to the story.

TBH, I also wondered about this just because it seems so... I don't know, extreme.  Then again, if I hadn't seen actual video of the new mother in Arizona being mistreated over her breastmilk, I would have doubted that one, too.  Given that TSA has a track record of serious shananigans, I'm inclined to believe the worst until evidence to the contrary emerges.

I'm with IIOY

FYI I just flew in and out of Miami for a cruise, and the agents were fine. I even forgot to dump our water bottles, but the agent said since we had kids he'll just shake it. I offered to go dump it, but he said "No, it's for the kids." I wish I had smuggled in vodka, lol. 

laurakaz13:

Delurking. I just had to comment on this story.  I've flown 7 round trips with my DD, including one internationally, and we've been treated with the utmost respect by TSA and airline agents. 

In fact, I have had TSA agents help me carry things through the to be scanned and collapse my stroller when I was flying alone with DD.  I just can't imagine where these people are flying, or if they just lose it and cause part of the problem themselves. 

I can say that in all my traveling, the best experience is when they merely ignore me.  Surly is more common.  Respect doesn't even begin to enter the picture.

Anecdotes ftw! 

Sibil:

I can say that in all my traveling, the best experience is when they merely ignore me.  Surly is more common.  Respect doesn't even begin to enter the picture.

Anecdotes ftw! 

Aren't you the one that got the surprise finger during the pat down? 

EloiseWeenieSkipperdee:

FYI I just flew in and out of Miami for a cruise, and the agents were fine. I even forgot to dump our water bottles, but the agent said since we had kids he'll just shake it. I offered to go dump it, but he said "No, it's for the kids." I wish I had smuggled in vodka, lol. 

::scribbling notes furiously:: 

DruidPrincess:

EloiseWeenieSkipperdee:

FYI I just flew in and out of Miami for a cruise, and the agents were fine. I even forgot to dump our water bottles, but the agent said since we had kids he'll just shake it. I offered to go dump it, but he said "No, it's for the kids." I wish I had smuggled in vodka, lol. 

::scribbling notes furiously:: 

Random, but cab fare from airport to port of Miami is $25.  

EloiseWeenieSkipperdee:

DruidPrincess:

EloiseWeenieSkipperdee:

FYI I just flew in and out of Miami for a cruise, and the agents were fine. I even forgot to dump our water bottles, but the agent said since we had kids he'll just shake it. I offered to go dump it, but he said "No, it's for the kids." I wish I had smuggled in vodka, lol. 

::scribbling notes furiously:: 

Random, but cab fare from airport to port of Miami is $25.  

LOL thanks! We're actually cruising out of a different port, but the vodka idea is good.  We got a tip to use them for bringing alky onboard. 

pixy_stix:

Sibil:

I can say that in all my traveling, the best experience is when they merely ignore me.  Surly is more common.  Respect doesn't even begin to enter the picture.

Anecdotes ftw! 

Aren't you the one that got the surprise finger during the pat down? 

Even if the mother is exaggerating a bit, its still awful. The TSA doesn't have a good history so I'm inclined to think she is telling the truth.

I had a body search once in Heathrow. Awkward. 

In my own antecdotal story of flying with my 18 month old, we had a could-have-turned-ugly scenario last month.

I am pregnant so I opted for the patdown. I was also wearing DD in the Ergo because she likes to run so she had to get patted down as well. DH went through the regular screening but was 3 feet away on the other side of the magical roped off area.

I had to take DD out of the carrier so we could be patted down separately. Again, fine. They had me put her on a chair a few feet from me (closer to DH, but still on the other side of the "fence") while I got searched, which FTR, is not pleasant and a little bit gross. While I was getting patted down, there was another TSA agent watching me getting patted down, but no one was watching DD except for DH and I. She started squirming and climbing out of the chair, and I reached over to make sure she stayed on the chair. They told me I wasn't allowed to touch her because she hadn't been patted down. Uh, ok. Then make her stay on the chair.

I motioned for DH to come over (he was putting on his shoes at this point) and they said that he couldn't touch her because he was clear but she wasn't. I told them at least a dozen times, "I don't need to touch her, just make sure she stays on the chair." She likes to run around and if no one could restrain her to make sure she was not running around through security, we would have a bigger problem.

I'm watching her get out of the chair, but they aren't allowing me to put her back in the chair (no touching, remember) and DH can't put her back in the chair either. Again, I told them, just make sure she stays in the chair for her safety. Nope, can't touch this. By this point, I just walked over to her, TSA agent still grabbing at my thigh, and physically blocked her with my body so she couldn't get down. They couldn't fathom DD wouldn't just listen and stay seated.  "Ma'am, you need to stay seated, " they tell my daughter. Yeah, ok, getting an 18 month old to sit in a chair while 2 adults are calling her ma'am is going to go over well. Cue the meltdown. Nope, I can't console her. She's not clear yet.

Ho.ly.shits. Finally, after an eternity, I could stand her up next to me and they patted her down. "Her diaper area felt a little thick." Yeah, it's a diaper."

By this point I wanted a cocktail at 10am.

EloiseWeenieSkipperdee:

I'm with IIOY

FYI I just flew in and out of Miami for a cruise, and the agents were fine. I even forgot to dump our water bottles, but the agent said since we had kids he'll just shake it. I offered to go dump it, but he said "No, it's for the kids." I wish I had smuggled in vodka, lol. 

When I was flying out of Pittsburgh while pregnant, I had forgotten to take a water bottle out of my bag. I apologized for this oversight, but the female TSO said "It's OK, you can keep it; it's a medical necessity" .

That said, if I was that mom I would have totally called that bluff about shutting the whole airport down and canceling flights.