Good touch, bad touch: How to explain TSA pat-downs to kids?
If you’re getting ready to travel with your kids for Thanksgiving you may want to have a little discussion about pat-downs before you arrive at the airport security line.
We spend a good portion of our parenting time telling our children not to let strangers touch them, yet they may have to allow a stranger (in theory with good intentions) pat them down if they want to fly to see Grandma.
Babble.com picked up from the LA Times explanations of the TSA rules involving screenings and pat-downs: (There is more info on the LA Times link.)
“1. A child under 12 who opts out of the body scanner will undergo “a modified pat-down search.” Children over 12 who opt out of the body scanner get the regular pat-down. Citing security reasons, the TSA has declined to say what the modified pat-down entails.
2. If an alarm goes off during a screening (as with the aforementioned 3-year-old), even children under 12 will be subject to a full pat-down.
3. To prepare kids, explain the procedures they may encounter ‘including the possibility that they may be touched by TSA personnel as part of a pat-down. Parents won’t necessarily be with their kids as they pass through the scanner or get patted down,’ according to The Los Angeles Times.
4. You might also check out the TSA’s advanced imaging technology web page to show your kids what the full-body scan entails.”
Here is more information on traveling with kids though the safety checkpoints from the TSA.
Here is the latest statement from the TSA Administrator John S. Pistole.
I have never been patted-down at the airport but Rose was when she was a 1-year-old at a small airport in Colorado. It was a little more than a year after 9/11. I just remember them patting down her diaper and we kind of thought it was funny at the time. I guess if she was older and aware of them doing it I wouldn’t haven’t been chuckling. In fact, now that she’s developing if anybody tried to touch her I would probably go ballistic. I’m glad I’m not flying for the holidays.
So what do you think: Should the TSA be patting down kids? Would you rather them go through the full-body scans or be patted down? Will you have a discussion about the pat-downs prior to flying? What’s your plan if it happens?
- by Theresa Walsh Giarrusso, Momania blog
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141 comments Add your comment
HB
November 22nd, 2010
12:37 pm
“Innocent people will be affected when the anger about TSA is actually anger towards our government.”
Innocent people are being affected now by the invasive searches. No one is saying the airlines will solve the problem (nor are we setting out to punish them), but we do believe that speaking up and taking action can convince the government to adjust its policies (hopefully sooner rather than later). Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but one thing is certain — going along with policies that we believe are overly intrusive and saying/doing nothing will guarantee they stay in place. If you’re comfortable with the policies, then great, keep flying, but I find it odd that you think those who aren’t should just subject themselves and their children to it anyway for the sake of the airlines and related businesses rather than stay home or choose a mode of transportation that doesn’t require them to undergo something they find invasive.
Don’t worry too much about the Coke and peanuts, though — I’ll still be buying those and using napkins on the train. :)
JATL
November 22nd, 2010
12:40 pm
@GTFOH -actually, I’m going to go completely out of “character” on this blog today and totally side with MJG -it’s YOUR elevator that’s not going to the top! I’ve accused her of having reading comprehension problems in the past, but after reading some of your further posts -they don’t even make sense. You obviously have no clue and need to do some research on search/alert dogs. Just because you don’t like dogs doesn’t mean you have to be completely ignorant of what some of them can do. And Bernie Madoff isn’t where he is because he was stupid or his “elevator didn’t go to the top” -which usually implies more “looney” than stupid; he’s there because he was actually very smart and very duplicitous for a long time -then he got caught. He’s an evil man with no moral compass, but he’s not stupid.
GTFOH
November 22nd, 2010
12:53 pm
Bottom line…you aren’t going to violate me or my children so I don’t have to and I won’t explain to them. And this new radiation scanner or whatever it is, you’re not going to put me or my child through that. Screw your thoughts and what you feel is okay and your dogs, the agents, and the TSA adminstration and the government. I’ll be damned. If you don’t feel violated something is wrong with you. There’s a way to deal with all this but I definitely disagree with the current method/policy.
People who have been raped/molested shouldn’t be forced to have to walk through that scanner. And essentially, you are being forced to do so. People say it’s safe…then prove it. 10-20 years from now, a lawsuit will be filed because of this very argument we are all having today.
GTFOH
November 22nd, 2010
12:55 pm
JATL I’m so done with you for today…and for ever more. I’m aware of what dogs can do for you and to you. And my posts make much sense. And if they don’t, why do you bother yourself. Maybe you need servicing as well.
JATL
November 22nd, 2010
1:04 pm
@Seriously -yep, I have a 2 and 4 year old. If we were going to fly anywhere soon, we would go through the scanners. I have a microwave in my house and a cell phone and we have about 4 laptops at home along with the television, etc. I’m FAR more concerned with radiation on a daily basis from those than the scanner. If I were a pilot or flight attendant or someone who flies so much that the scanners and the radiation they give off might honestly affect me -then yeah, maybe I would be uncomfortable with them, but at this point I’m not.
Like Grant and Andy Richter said -if you go through the scanner -you won’t be patted down unless they see something pretty inexplicable there (like a foreign object shoved down in your pants or hidden in your bra). Sure, boycott the airlines. Since the poll last week indicated that 80% of Americans were just fine with all of this, then I think you’re wasting your time. I’m betting at least half of you who posted here today wouldn’t be upset at all about any of this if the media hadn’t been fanning the flames and screaming about it for 2 weeks now. If you think THIS security screening change is heralding an erosion of our civil liberties and rights -then you’ve had your head in the sand for so long you should probably leave it there. It’s just the latest in a long list of erosions. I’ll ask again -how many of you thought the Patriot Act was a good idea? Yeah -if you’re honest -plenty of you did, and now, here we are. I’m actually interested in Florida’s private security firm idea and how it works. Could be the way to go!
As far as Muslim women being exempt – that’s not true. The TSA released a statement that everyone, regardless of religion or anything else, would have to have the same type of pat down if they objected to the screening. So, I’m sure many of you already feel safer -if Muslim women can’t fly, then that lets out a lot of terroristic-looking people who scare you on planes. See -there’s always a silver lining for you!
JATL
November 22nd, 2010
1:15 pm
@GTFOH -I hope you’re done with this blog too, because your intelligence, comprehension and communication skills are sub-par at best. “And my post makes much sense.” -Well, that sums it up entirely.
Michelle
November 22nd, 2010
1:28 pm
I will not put myself or my child through the strip search/naked body scanner. If my son and I fly next year, he will be 8 years old. We will have a discussion before leaving the house during which time I will tell him that if he is touched by these government-sponsored rapists, that he is to scream and scream and scream at the top of his lungs and kick and punch and bite and that he is not to stop even if I tell him to do so. I will make damn fricking sure that EVERYBODY around will know what they are doing to him. I will be screaming as well and no matter what the rapists say, I will not make him stop screaming and fighting.
This is rape, plain and simple. And for those who think rape is a sex crime, let me set you straight. It is a crime of power – with sex as the ultimate weapon against the victim. The government is telling us that we have no choice but to submit to the electronic strip search or be sexually assaulted. In some cases there are no body scanners and people are being pulled aside for this assault. In other cases, even when people clear the body scanners they are still pulled aside and sexually assaulted. If we refuse, we are screamed at, publically humiliated, handcuffed to chairs, threatened with jail, arrested and jailed, detained indefinitely, made to miss our flights. All of this so they can look at and touch our bodies??????? BULL – it is RAPE! My son and I will fight and scream and make a spectacle!
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
November 22nd, 2010
1:41 pm
second blog is up — Arizona sending home notes to let you know your kid is fat — is any of the school’s business??
http://blogs.ajc.com/momania/2010/11/22/should-schools-send-home-notes-if-kids-are-overweight/
BluebellJones
November 22nd, 2010
1:41 pm
jatl-you are not in any way important. Just so you know. Your posts are bombastic and repetitive, your insults apply more to yourself than to those you condemn. Just take it down a notch. Nobody cares. It’s a blog, for goodness sake. Your life must be a wretched thing, causing you to spend so much energy on something so insignificant.
BluebellJones
November 22nd, 2010
1:43 pm
Michelle, I agree. You’ll get arrested but what the h*ll.
perkle
November 22nd, 2010
2:17 pm
I haven’t had to fly in a long time anyway, but I will avoid it all costs until this madness goes away. You know the true terrorists are laughing their heads off. I feel sorry for my brother who has to fly twice a week every week on business.
bb
November 22nd, 2010
2:23 pm
for those who are saying you have to set off the metal detector first this is NOT true. i was subjected to a full body pat down in boston’s logan airport because i was “wearing a skirt” and “could have anything strapped on under there.” i did not set off a metal detector. my carry-on was not searched. it was supposedly all about the skirt. so why was i not patted down only below the waist? my shirt was not “loose and flowing.” nothing could conceivably be hidden under there. my only (small) consolation was that the woman performing the pat down seemed as uncomfortable as i was.
Ituri
November 22nd, 2010
2:56 pm
How about this for explaining to your kids.
“Nobody is ever allowed to touch you in a way you don’t like, and this includes government officials. No government agency can EVER tell you you don’t have your constitutionally guaranteed rights, and you should NOT tolerate those that try such things. Until our rights are respected, we should not fly as protest.”
There is no explaining sexual molestation to your kids as if its okay. It’s NEVER okay. The only way its okay is if you’ve committed a crime, the ONLY action that can in turn discard your individual rights, due to your harming someone elses rights in some way.
JATL
November 22nd, 2010
2:57 pm
@Michelle -If you want to waste your money on plane tickets, that’s your prerogative, because you won’t be allowed to fly. If you create that much of a problem, you’ll also be arrested, and your son will go into the care of DFACS while it’s all sorted out. Is it really that important to you? I suggest you plot out a driving course for your trip or just stay at home and save yourself the anguish and the wasted plane fare.
LM
November 22nd, 2010
3:13 pm
The last time I flew was to DC in the spring. I expected to be patted down thinking I would set off the metal detector since I had my shoulder replaced a few months earlier. I didn’t set off the detector much to my surprise. I was even given a card to carry with the implant information on it to give to the screeners.
On the other hand, how much of this will blow over in a few months? So many here keep saying they will not fly due to the TSA screening, but …. how many will?
Wow, Michelle...
November 22nd, 2010
3:30 pm
….RAPE – really??? “Touching” your son or you is NOT rape – maybe you need to go back to your shrink since you are confusing “battery” (touching/hitting against your will) with Rape (sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth).. You are really going to screw up you kid with that mentality…
kathy
November 22nd, 2010
3:31 pm
We should not be opting for either! To be virtually strip searched or molested, gee is that really a choice? It’s time for Americans to WAKE UP, your Fourth Amendment rights are slipping away. Bit by bit, the government puts another link in the chain that will soon strangle any semblance of the country our Founders intended. I can imagine the terrorists smiling at all this – they’ve managed to get our government to participate in stamping out American ideals and liberty to make us live like their people do – in abject submission to tyranny.
Join Opt Out Day in a creative way – wear your bathing suit under your clothes. TSA says we should partner with them – this is an idea that should accomplish our mission and help them accomplish thiers. Get details on how this can help and join us at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/I-will-wear-my-bathing-suit-to-the-airport/161575693879561
Ssorry, LM...
November 22nd, 2010
3:33 pm
…but presenting your “card” that indentifies you as a shoulder replacement recipient does not and will not give you a free pass IF you ever set off the metal detector. All those people know is that you set off the detector, and that REQUIRES the fill scan or pat down…no matter what your “card” may say – as the saying goes, I’ve “been there and had that done”…
SJ
November 22nd, 2010
3:44 pm
I’m not sure why JATL is being piled on. I think she brings a lot of common sense to these discussions. I may not always agree with everything she says, but she provides thoughtful arguments (which is more than I can say for many).
LM
November 22nd, 2010
3:44 pm
Sorry, I never said I expected a free pass. I know I may set off the scanners, I know I may have to be patted down. I knew as soon as we discussed getting an implant I might have a longer security search when traveling and to give myself more time before boarding. Just like many years ago when I did apheresis donation and had lots of needle marks in my arms, I also carried a letter from the Red Cross explaining the needle marks. There is nothing wrong with having documentation with you, but I know it will not give me a free pass.
JATL
November 22nd, 2010
4:22 pm
@SJ -Thank You! GTFOH seems to have taken offense at both my and MJG’s inability to decipher what she is trying to say. The other one is a troll who I ignore and don’t feed. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
motherjanegoose
November 22nd, 2010
4:27 pm
JATL…thanks for your vote of confidence. I also agree with SJ about you.
While I do not always like or agree with things that are happening…sometimes I choose to
“fly under the radar” and thus I WILL move compliantly through the security line ( for now) and do what I have to do to get to my clients who are expecting me. They signed contracts 6-12 months ago and we had no idea this would happen.
If a doctor scheduled your surgery for next week and did not return from the Thanksgiving holidays as he/ she decided to boycott flying and perhaps was 2000 miles away…would you be fine with delaying everything to make sure your Doctor felt safe? Or would you switch Doctors?
Thousands of folks perform duties that are miles more important than what I do and they will still get on the airplane as they have a job to do and a reputation to keep.
If I wimp out at things like this…others may refuse to hire me.
NO my job is not the most important thing to most all of you on here but it IS important to my clients ( who are expecting me with a room full of people) and also my family which includes the two kids I have in college. I just bought $200 worth of groceries and did not have to think about where the money came from since I have worked hard all year. If I choose not to fly, things will be radically different. Thus I make choices for what works for me.
THIS IS JUST ME and I do not expect anyone else to agree. Call me stupid if you wish, others here have done so. I have flown in a skirt lots of times and this never triggered a thing. I am confused about this and other comments today.
I am thrilled I will not be at the airport on W. Should be interesting.
TSA Screenings: A Dehumanizing Process Paralleling Prison Entry? | The Emerald Tablet
November 22nd, 2010
7:17 pm
[...] who’ve told their children not to let strangers touch them, now have to tell them that they must endure a TSA pat-down if they want to fly. Consider the recent strip search of a young boy. Fortunately, the TSA appear to be relenting a [...]
Mike
November 22nd, 2010
7:43 pm
The x-rays are dangerous, the TSA agents are molesters, and the government is doing its best to destroy our liberties. Those of you who think this is no big deal are truly stupid.
Sam
November 23rd, 2010
1:02 am
First a tax cheat and now a pervert that’s change you can really believe in.
Joe Traveler
November 23rd, 2010
6:58 am
Ok, I have to jump in here. I am a frequent business traveler and while I am not thrilled with the new “pat down” practice, I am also a realist and understands the need to protect our security here in the U.S. If they didn’t pat down passengers and something was brought on board of an aircraft, we as an American society would be very quick to pass judgement on the government. We would protest the TSA saying that they aren’t doing enough to protect us. However let’s now shift that paradigm and look at the current standards. Funny how we are quick to say how the security standards are too stringent and how our civil liberties are being violated. Come on here fellow Americans! You can’t have it both ways, at least not anymore thanks to those radicals that want to harm us.
deidre_NC
November 23rd, 2010
7:09 am
i know this was about kids and pat downs..but really kids are not the only issues….for example:
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/tsa-pat-down-leaves-750644.html
deidre_NC
November 23rd, 2010
7:53 am
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-european-officials-scramble-stop-expected-terror-attack/story?id=12208480
their strategy is working…bastards
deidre_NC
November 23rd, 2010
7:54 am
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-european-officials-scramble-stop-expected-terror-attack/story?id=12208480
guess their strategy is working
motherjanegoose
November 23rd, 2010
8:27 am
@ Joe, thanks for jumping in . I am a business traveler too and I think those who are shouting the loudest are going to Grandma’s or the beach once or twice a year. Not many folks take their kids with them on business trips all year.
Would you please share how we are not the only ones who spend much of our lives in airports. You probably are there more than me. How would we work if we had to fly? If they do not like the rules…they can stay home…if we do not like the rules…we have no job. To me, opt out W is not about the business traveler but the casual traveler…it is a day I already avoid the airport like the plague. Will you be there?
motherjanegoose
November 23rd, 2010
8:28 am
ooops…how would we work if we could not fly…sorry
Janet
November 23rd, 2010
8:58 am
I think patting down kids is absurd. My skinny, blond haired, blue-eyed, 9 year old daughter had to go through the scanner and be patted down. My 35 year old husband didn’t have to be patted down. Does that really make sense???
1911A1
November 23rd, 2010
12:03 pm
There seems to be some misunderstanding that Israel’s screening is racial profiling; it’s not. It’s criminal profiling. The agent asks each and every passenger a few simple questions and monitors the passengers’ responses. Those who give visual cues are pulled aside for further scrutiny.
My father was a US Customs officer for over 30 years. He could tell who was up to something just by looking in their eyes while he was asking the standard battery of questions. That’s what we need to be doing, not irridating or groping innocent people.
The TSA was established in the post-9/11 panic as a knee-jerk reaction. It was ramrodded through Congress as a government jobs program with the inane selling point along the lines of, “if you want to professionalize, you must federalize.” That’s rich: these “professionals” are barely literate goons on a power trip…and so are their bosses.
I’ve written my Congressman to encourage him to look into de-funding the TSA. What they are doing is unconstitutional.
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized” – Fourth Amendment
Pat Downs and Stranger Danger: Traveling with the Kids! « Y98 – More Music. Better Variety – Y98 Homepage
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[...] Article Here [...]
Pat Downs and Stranger Danger: Traveling with the Kids! « Y98 – More Music. Better Variety – Y98 Homepage
November 23rd, 2010
1:05 pm
[...] Article Here [...]
Cammi317
November 23rd, 2010
1:34 pm
Anyone see the article that posted today about the TSA agent who kidnapped a passenger and sexually assaulted her? Please tell me again why I would agree to allow one of these pervs grope either myself or my daughter…
underwired
November 23rd, 2010
2:53 pm
I flew last month from Atlanta to Detroit and was singled out for a body scan AND wanding (in ATL), apparently because of the sequins on my top. Wearing a different shirt on the way home, I set off both the walk-through and the wand metal detectors in Detroit and was subjected to the pat-down. It was finally determined that the metal in my bra was the culprit. I would be a lot less concerned about these “enhancements” if the detectors could distinguish between a weapon and underwear!
Stranger Danger « New Sky Radio
November 23rd, 2010
2:57 pm
[...] Here 0 comments print Leave a Comment Below print [...]
Susan
November 23rd, 2010
6:41 pm
I can not believe anyone is even thinging it is okay to teach our children this is okay. NO WAY will anyone touch my child. We will NOT be flying until someone uses their brain here.
MrLiberty
November 26th, 2010
2:52 pm
People can only get together and perpetrate tyrrany with the help of others. Government can only exist with the cooperation of the masses, for they are truly in the minority. It is clear from reading these posts that most of you are on the side of liberty while a small minority are clearly saying whatever they need to say to justify their support of this tyrrany. In the end, we will all know them by their actions.
lisa
November 27th, 2010
8:38 pm
I live in a town where they do not have these x-ray machines up and running and so I do let my son fly, but as soon as it gets to the point where we have to be x-rayed or groped to get to the gate there’s no way I would go through it, and no way EVER would I let my son go through it. No x-rays, and no touching. I am a mom of four, and I have been sexually assaulted and I teach my kids that their bodies are their own and nobody, NOBODY gets to touch them there unless mommy is there and I say its ok (as in a doctor).
As for airport check point once you enter you are required to keep going–that’s the stupidest crap I’ve ever heard of. So you get there and you realize that its going to be touchy-feely and you say no, and want to go home instead and they fine you? I’d do a counter sue.