snagabag

Just as Liah attracts compliments, I attract complaints.

We were leaving New York and had just passed thru security. I, knowing my daughter quite well, chose to sit her down on a table just past the metal detector while I quickly put my belt and backpack back on. During this brief time I noticed a TSA agent walk up to Liah, but I didn’t think anything of it. However, when I picked Liah up, TSA Jerk #24410 (his EID) proceeded to lecture me in a very condescending tone on why I should never sit my daugther down on a table as she might fall off, and a “good father” would hold his child in his arms the whole time! To be honest, I couldn’t really believe I was hearing what I was hearing. As I had all of my belongings and Liah was back in her stroller, I started to walk away (with Aparna just in front of me.) The TSA Jerk then proceeds to tell me to “not walk away from him when he is talking.” Can you believe it? Well, I am one of those citizens who is afraid of government abuse of power, so even though I knew I had passed the security screen, I stopped. I was seriously worried they would be able to “detain” me for walking away from a TSA agent, even if what he was telling me had nothing to do with aviation security. The TSA Jerk continued to lecture me, and I wish I could tell you I had some terribly witty and effective reply …but I didn’t. Rather, I basically called him a hypocrite. Meanwhile, a few other TSA agents approached us (Liah and Aparna were right next to me) and started wondering out loud why I was annoyed at getting “parenting advice.” (Really, didn’t they have anything better to do…like screen passengers?) By then, I had confidence TSA Jerk would not stop me from walking away …so we left and headed to our gate.

Oh well, it wasn’t the first time we had received unsolicited parenting advice …come to think of it that was also at a airport… maybe travel brings out the nurturer in people? anyway, it wasn’t the first time, and i’m sure it won’t be the last time…

Aparna, Liah & I just got back from NYC and we spent a fair amount of time just walking around Manhattan. Well, as we were walking, the most interesting thing happened… not once, not twice, but three different strangers stopped to compliment Liah! Crazy, eh? I wish I could tell you they all felt compelled to stop what they were doing to tell us Liah was the cutest baby they had ever seen, but they did not say that. Rather, all three people told us those were the cutest pigtails they had ever seen.