Thursday, January 20, 2011

Trip update 8

This is skipping over miles of territory but I wanted to write a bit about today's adventure.

We are now at Paul's brother John's place in Poland, and John's wife Laura and I were just talking about those freak-out moments as a mom when you realize "My child doesn't know this obvious thing that everybody just KNOWS! Where have I gone wrong??? What's going to happen to him??"

I had tried to help Steven pack before we left home and he took to that like a cat to a cold bath so I lectured him good and let him pack his own backpack.

At Portland they confiscated three too-large bottles of shampoos and such. "Steven, what were you THINKING??"


As we left Nairobi on Tuesday and flew to Amsterdam and then to Poland, I assumed all was well and he knew the rules. After all, hadn't I given him another lecture--no shampoo, Ok?? And no knives! Nothing like that! Got it??

So we went through security to catch our flight from Amsterdam to Warsaw today and suddenly all the antennae went up on the heads leaning over Steven's backpack.

And there was a big Dutch security guy holding Steven's high-powered slingshot.

I had a fit. You had a SLINGSHOT in your BACKPACK???!!! WHY???

Shrug. "I thought I might use it."

Two big Dutch security guys with black boots and big guns and blue berets came over to Steven and Paul and me. "Do you speak English? Yes? Well, do you realize that a catapult is considered a weapon in Holland?"

Lord have mercy.

"We will have to call the local police."

We gave the other kids their passports and boarding passes and told them to go on to Warsaw without us if need be.

Soon a few policemen surrounded us, joining the normal airport security guys and the guys with big guns. The policemen had small guns and lots of other stuff on their belts. There was lots of talk in Dutch and the occasional sentence in English about taking us to the police station and/or fining us 60 euros and this is considered a weapon and it's illegal, do we understand that?

Yes, believe me, we did now.

They took a photocopy of Steven's passport and filled out a few forms and looked serious.

Finally, finally, they told us we can just go. "No fine."

I think they figured out that we were hick Americans who consider slingshots normal equipment on international trips and a fine wouldn't change anything and maybe in another generation or two we would be more civilized, they could only hope.

So we left and I apologized profusely for about the fourth time.

Steven didn't act dented by the ordeal at all.

Paul said, "I hope you at least feel foolish," plus a few other things.

I didn't say much because it's better if Paul says it and I was too furious and most of all because I was, and still am, having a crisis as a mom. "Where have I gone WRONG that my kid didn't KNOW not to take a SLINGSHOT of all things on an AIRPLANE????? HOW COULD HE NOT KNOW THIS??? Adn what POSSESSED him to stick it in in the first place???"

Somebody please tell me he's going to grow up and eventually learn this stuff.

10 comments:

  1. Poor Steven, I bet he's all smashed up inside from making everyone mad at him for being a normal boy. Too bad airports make us ALL suspect criminals these days.

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  2. I have no doubt at all he will continue growing up into a very fine young man. Yes, the common sense may seem to be in short supply during these teen years, but it turns out there's a biological reason for that sometimes---I found out a few years back that male brains don't finish developing (impulse control, among other things) until around age 25, whereas female brains are fully developed years earlier, around age 21 or so.

    This is just me, but I also wonder sometimes if someone like your son Steven, who has lived through the life experiences that he has, can't help but perhaps find all those "details" such as shampoo bottles and airport regulations simply unimportant in the grand scale of life and death and hardship and suffering, you know? Perhaps in a subconscious way, not intentionally, his value system doesn't acknowledge or realize these "details" as important yet.

    I could be all wrong about the above speculation, but I AM positive that you're doing the best job you can, that you're a wonderful mom, and that Steven will continue growing up into a terrific human being. :)

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  3. Well, my little brother took empty shotgun shells along a number of years ago when we flew internationally. He didn't like the fuss, though, so he threw them out even though they said he could go on.

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  4. Maybe I shouldn't be laughing, but these episodes were just too funny.

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  5. Well, well, well! you never know when you can meet Goliath!!
    better safe than sorry...
    I bet Steven will not do it again!

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  6. Steven will grow into a productive adult. You, his parents, are setting a good example. My two children are fine adults. I had a wild child and a responsible child. On an international flight responsible son, at age 12, packed a lifelike rubber snake and managed to get his back pack searched. Scared the screener and they weren't as paranoid 20 years ago.
    Now he is a teacher, preacher, and father of 3 kids doing things God's way.
    Tabitha

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  7. Oh Dorcas! Just think, if this wouldn't have happened, you wouldn't have this chapter to add to your next book!! We all decided that Steven is a boy after our own hearts! And he has a wonderful Mother and Father!
    -coleensr

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  8. Oh, how we like Steven. He's brought a lot of happiness to your family. A year from now, you'll look back on this episode and think it funny. --Paul & Julia

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  9. Oh girl, you need to write a book! I am enjoying your story so much. Bless, bless, bless you!

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  10. I find it interesting that it wasn't a problem when you left Nairobi. Dorcas you have amazingly wonderful children! Just because Steven has been your son for a few years doesn't mean that he is going to see things like you do. I was adopted as an infant and in the same state where I was born and 53 years later my mom and I are still extremely different when it comes to what we think is good common sense, but we both are fine and so, I think is Steven

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