Originally Posted by
MrsGraupel
Not to sound harsh, but I doubt it is the first time you made a passenger cry, just maybe the first time you saw it. I doubt the screeners that I've interacted with thought they made me cry. I would NEVER let them see it.
I've wondered about this since. Gosh, I sincerely hope not, but I'll never know. All I can do is press on and keep trying.
You ask the best way to comfort someone? Don't talk to them beyond what is needed. We're not there to chat or to like you...you are invading our very personal space. Just get it over with and let me leave and don't make me pretend to like being around you - like ripping off a band-aid. Again, nothing personal, but it's not my job as a passenger to make you feel better about what your job requires.
That is very good advice. I don't want anyone to make me feel good about my job, what I want is to make people feel, if not good, then at least secure. I think what I'll do is start focusing more on my body language, especially post patdown and post bag check. I'm curious to see if I habitually linger and talk/reassure, whatever but most importantly, I'm thinking about your comment, "Just get it over with and let me leave and don't make me pretend to like being around you." I'm going to watch myself over the next few days and see where I stand. Do I walk away immediately? Do I chat and help repack? Do I inadvertently give the impression of blocking egress from the checkpoint or do I automatically step to the side? I'm curious now. Yes that helps with post screening but unfortunately it doesn't help with the, "how do I make screening easier?" query.