loops

OP might not have been upset at the "state your name" game in of itself, but the rest... (what is your destination, etal) under the color of "you might not be a terrorist, BUT you ~could~ be a kidnapper" is certainly offensive if not WAY out of TSA's realm of duty and should indeed provoke a response not unlike what was reported. I applaud the OP for her actions and self control. I might well have not have not flown that day and not made such a good impression in the public eye if I'd lost my temper in such a situation . OP... your kids will be very proud of you some day, if not at this moment... they should be that eventually when free of the self-consciousness and ignorance of youth. Keep raising 'em upright! ^

PVDtoDEL

I don't see the issue with letting your child say their name. The TSO can already see the name on the BP, and it is a complete waste of time to argue. If they want to know the destination, you tell them where the flight you are boarding terminates - if you are flying PVD-EWR-DEL, you say EWR. They already know that you are flying to EWR. What is the big deal? Even purpose of your trip isn't that big of a deal to me. They ask "why are you going there", I say a generic answer like "visiting grandma" or "school vacation" or something. Is it that big of a deal?

As said earlier, Pick Your Battles.
There are more important things to worry about.

GUWonder

to the TSA also harassing young children. Doing so in the name of "think of the children" "kidnapping" is even more ludicrous, as most kidnapped minors don't even know they've been kidnapped until after it has happened. A minor knowing their own name is true even of kidnapped children, so asking a minor their name won't prevent the most typical kind of child abduction: that of a relative and/or acquaintance unlawfully transporting and/or holding a minor.

The TSA needs to stop with this nonsense of asking people questions about their name or details of travel. That or the TSA should admit it is inspired by the Soviet Union's ways in dealing with lawful persons.

GUWonder

What happens if the children are interested in playing a game and saying they are somebody else? It happens rather ordinarily. Children are not only unreliable witnesses, they also have very active imaginations and are unreliable communicators. Why enable the TSA to set up a situation that challenges parents/parental authority even more than is already the case?

If you are fine with the TSA asking questions -- even of the most "innocent" nature -- are you also fine with law enforcement doing so in the absence of parents/guardians (or their authorization)? I have some substantial concerns about that. [The things some intelligence agencies do with children in order to target their relatives are awful enough; letting even more government employees meddle with children is an invitation to even worse outcomes for adults ... and even for the children.]

clrankin

I stand ready to acquit.

But seriously, this would be a bad thing... Hopefully TSA and their silly little inane policies that protect nobody while hindering all doesn't lead to something like this happening. I'd feel bad for the parent who will likely spend the rest of his/her life behind bars and away from the very children they were trying to protect.

MAN-MAN

I basically agree with this. Here in Switzerland, my 8-year old goes on his own to the Train Station Kiosk (only 1 km distance) to buy his German Football (soccer) magazines. I have taught my 5-year old to hand his passport over to the Immigration Officer and say "Good afternoon" in English or German.

I think that is teaching them independence, politeness and how the Air Travel world operates. Friendly security people (in Europe) have asked my children e.g. "...and where are you going today with Daddy?", little things like that. I have no problem with that.

However, in this case, the problem seems to be here:

"I told the ID checker that I did not give her permission to talk to my children directly and that any questions would need to come through me.

She ignored my request and against my request asked my children again "

I think that's just rude on her part to ignore you.

WillCAD

You know, the crazy people who wear tinfoil hats and try to warn us about their crazy delusions like the government being able to track you everywhere you go, look beneath your clothing or inside your homes with x-ray specs, and even read your thoughts... some of their predictions are actually beginning to come true, or at least the government is trying to make them come true.

What is BDO? Government trying to read your thoughts by observing your behavior and physical reactions. Sure, it's utter voodoo now, but it's being used as if it were real, reliable science.

What is WBI? Government trying to peer beneath your clothing with x-ray specs. And I've heard that there is a version in a van that can see inside your home. Sure, it's a giant machine that must be bolted in place now, but eventually it will fit into a pair of binoculars or even a pair of specs.

What is this Enhanced Interrogation stuff at the TDC podium? Government using BDO on you by asking you where you're going, how long you're going to be there, who you're going to interact with, and what you're going to do while you're there, i.e., tracking your movements. Sure, they're not writing it down or recording it now, but give it few years and they'll have sound and video recording at the podium, "for your own protection" - after all, we're always screaming about how the TSA seems to conveniently lose the video of it's people misbehaving, so it stands to reason that the interrogators will eventually get recorded.

Likewise, TSA is currently buying machines that can scan your boarding pass at the TDC podium. Eventually, they will enhance those machines to also read your ID - and limit the acceptable ID list to those IDs with RFID chips or barcodes that conform to readable standards - and then your BP and ID info will all go into a nice, neat, uber-expensive government database somewhere.

Granted, this is all terribly crude, unreliable, useless, even laughable stuff, but then the Wright Flyer was a crude, unreliable, useless, even laughable machine that set us upon the path to the A380, the F-22, and the Space Shuttle. The current initiatives have the potential, even with current technology, to become a frighteningly invasive government tracking program.

I feel like a frog in a pot. It's comfortably warm in here, but there do seem to be a lot more bubbles today than there were yesterday.

Affection

I believe the adage was a frog. A frog, if dropped in a pot of boiling water, will jump out, but if placed in cold water that is being heated, is not able to feel and/or react to the temperature change and will remain. The lobster won't jump out either way.

--Jon

PVDtoDEL

When did I say any of this?

Obviously, you should teach your children when it is appropriate to say stuff and when it isn't. This isn't 5 year old, these are teens and preteens who hopefully are able to tell when it is appropriate to speak, and what information it is appropriate to disclose. Teaching your children THAT is more useful than making trouble for no reason. If the kid knows what they should and shouldn't say in certain situations (parent not there, talking with stranger, talking with LEO, etc.), then you don't have to protect them from every tiny thing, and it builds up independence which will only help them in life.

If I had an issue with my kids telling a TSO their names when I'm not there (and they fly alone often, without being escorted by the airline), then instead of fighting the TSO, I would explain to my kids that they should not tell the TSO their names. and I would explain to them why. I will not be around to tell every single person they interact with to talk to them through me. They should be able to do this themselves.

There are things worth fighting over (NoS is particular), but having your kids not tell a TSO information that the TSO already knows is not productive in any way.

tanja

Since TSA already know the name they should not ask.

When I was a young kid/teenager NOBODY could tell me what to do or say.
I was very rebellious.

And I would have told them the F. word. Nobody could have stopped me at all.


My kids were taught in the 1980-1990 not to answer anybody if MOM was around.

I would have told TSA;

Is the name not on BP?

Second I am so sorry you are word blind.

You cant read? I am so sorry.

No way my minor kids would talk to "molesters"

WillCAD

There is something to be said for teaching your children NOT to answer questions from a uniformed, badged public servant (TSO or LEO) except through their parent or legal guardian. Even teens and preteens should become accustomed to protecting their Constitutional rights.

dorothybaez

This in itself is totally inexcusable. Interfering with the authority of a parent is not acceptable.

cbn42

I disagree with OP's actions. You may hate the TSA and everything they do. You may be willing to create a scene in order to make a point. You may be willing to miss your flight and call the ACLU to file a lawsuit. That is your prerogative. But DO NOT DRAG YOUR KIDS INTO IT. It is wrong to use your children as pawns in this battle. If the TSA wants to grope them, or do something else that is going to hurt them, then by all means object, but do not use your kids as props to make a scene.

While kids should be taught not to talk to any random stranger, they should also be taught what is appropriate to say to a particular stranger and what isn't. TSOs are in uniform, and no kid is going to be able to distinguish them from airline staff, volunteers, or even law enforcement. How exactly are you going to teach a child not to reveal his destination when asked by a TSO, but to answer the same question when asked by a gate agent?

cbn42

Also, now that I read the original post again, I'm pretty sure that your children must be thinking that YOU had something to hide. They must have been wondering why you did not want them to say their names, and the only logical conclusion from their perspective is that you were trying to sneak on a plane that you didn't belong on, trying to use someone else's ticket, or some other questionable maneuver.

OldGoat

I disagree with the assertion that "..no kid is going to be able to distinguish [TSO's] from airline staff, volunteers, or even law enforcement." My kids could distinguish between different uniforms even at a very young age.

I think it's up to the parent to know their children's capabilities, and to live within them. For that reason, I'm not going to question the OP's parenting.