Sippy cup mom should have known better

I'll admit that traveling with a small child on your own can be stressful. However, this mother should have known better than to behave the way that she did.

A mother traveling alone was escorted from a security checkpoint because her son had a sippy cup with liquid in it. TSA advised her of the policy that no liquids could be brought from the unsecured area of the airport to the secure boarding area. There apparently was no place for her to empty the cup near the check point. She says that TSA wanted to confiscate the cup (which would have allowed her to pass the checkpoint and board), but that her son became upset and did not want to give up his cup.

The TSA does not normally escort people from checkpoints because of liquids in their possession. Perhaps they escorted her because she was resistant to their direction? Even if they were being draconian in the efforts to ensure her compliance, IT IS THEIR JOB!

TSA posted video of the escort on their web site. It shows the woman taking the sippy cup from her son and shaking the contents of the cup all over the stone floor of the exit area. This created a safety hazard. Eventually, TSA staff brought paper towels and directed the woman to clean up the liquid. She had to use a lot of towels to clean up the water. She claims that she was nervous and spilled the water, but the video clear shows her shaking the cup to empty its contents.

Now, here's the REALLY STUPID part. The woman is a former Secret Service agent. TSA claim that she tried to flaunt her status as a means of circumventing the liquid prohibitions. Even if TSA's claim is not true, someone who has worked in a law enforcement capacity for the government should know to take other agents of the government seriously.

Yes, traveling alone with a small child can be stressful. However, as a former Secret Service agent, this woman should know how to handle stress better than this. Instead of whining to everyone who will listen about her mistreatment, she should be ashamed at her own behavior. Even if everything she says about the TSA's over reaction is true, watch the video and decide for yourself: Did she spill the water on purpose? (To me, it looks like she did.)