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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: +1 for Capri Sun, I loved those things!

I don't get the big deal about a pat down though... unless it was somehow inappropriate or unprofessional? As parents, we always get rid of liquids and metal items when we travel.

A bit different, but my then 6mo DS was patted down last time we flew. DH carried him through the metal detector and it went off. No big deal at all to me - I'd rather they were as security conscious as possible. For an older child id hope it would be explained well to them though.

My husband and I saw the video on the news together. I thought it was a professional and appropriate pat down and that the dad was over reacting. My husband said he would be equally as upset as that dad if our daughter received that pat down at that age. My husband is a very reasonable dude and I normally get much more worked up about stuff with the kids than he does. Maybe it's just a father/daughter protection instinct thing. In the morning I'll have to ask him if he would be upset if our son was given a pat down.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Yes, me too. I mean, my son, who is 5, knows that people have to remove their shoes, take off their coats, etc. He also knows that we bring a lot of liquids on board for him during the flight and I am sometimes subjected to the swipe test.

People really need to educate themselves about the procedures around flying. I think the biggest thing is that some people think rules don't apply to them and if we allowed everyone to do what they wanted during the security screenings, there'd be no point to having them.

I don't get what the big deal is with this - it looked totally normal and professional to me.

@ElbieKay: If you read the reports about how the agents don't catch most of the planted items, then yes.

But it's still a part of the process.

It's part of the process of traveling. If you want to be exempt from the rules then don't fly. I wouldn't be upset unless I truly thought they were doing it to be a creeper.

I'd be annoyed and grumble about it, but I wouldn't call it an assault. I can see DH reacting like that though, he has very little patience for other people being stupid (and I'm sure that's how he'd see TSA patting down a kid).

@looch: I think you are misunderstanding. I don't think the breakdown in the process comes from people's inability to follow it. I think the process itself is a joke. For instance, the liquids rule is incredibly arbitrary, and I suspect the primary effect had been to increase revenue from bottled water sales inside the terminal.

And I sympathize with the TSA agents. I don't see any upside to having a job like that. Even if the public was on board with the concept, it would be dreadfully tedious.

So I've gone through a pat down several times and although I don't find it uncomfortable, I can see how a kid might. That said, I call bs on the dad's reaction. If you truly thought you're daughter was being "assaulted" and it made you sick to your stomach to watch, you're hardly helpless. Stop the search. Yeah, you may miss your flight but that seems like the least important thing if the pat down was so inappropriate.

@looch: I wish I had a good answer to that, but I have no idea how an individual can effect change in a powerful government organization. I am actually quite resentful towards the situation to be honest, but it has a relatively low impact on me because I only fly once or twice per year.

I think this dad was looking for trouble, frankly. Who whips out their phone to take a video like that? Come on. Unless the TSA pat down was inappropriate, it's just what it is in today's world.

My sister had to get a pat down when she was 6 ... My dad asked the TSA agent to explain to her what was going on (she was extremely shy). The agent literally said, "We have to check to be sure you're not bringing anything dangerous onto the plane. One day, some bad men got onto planes, cut people's heads off (ummmm?), and crashed the planes!" -- my parents were livid, my sister was inconsolable. In that case, I'd be PISSED! I routinely got patdowns when I was pregnant, and the agents were always respectful and super friendly. No big deal.

I think a lot of what the TSA does is not actually doing as much as we'd like to think regarding keeping us safe. BUT that being said, this video didn't bother me a bit. It is what it is at this point, and we all know the rules. I think the dad was looking for attention. He called it "heinous" and said it made him "sick to his stomach." Really? That's pretty over the top.

Although I will say that my husband recently got pissed at a TSA agent because he asked if he should remove his belt before the scanner and the agent said no. Then of course the belt set off the machine, so he did have to take the belt off AND an agent basically stuck his hands in my husband's pants to feel around the inside of his waistband. That was a bit invasive.

i'd be annoyed because i usually don't like TSA people i interact with and find them to be on power trips. I know that is totally biased and overgeneralizing, but i just get annoyed with having to comply and be told what to do without a choice, even though i know there is no other way around it. So my annoyance would not be specific to the fact that it was my kid getting the pat down, i'd be annoyed if it was myself too.

As a parent though, i certainly would not have taken a video, i would have just stood as close as possible to my kid and been supportive.