The weekend before we went to Yankee Stadium, Jamie checked the website to see what we could bring in, and he reassured me that diaper bags were okay. When we arrived, we surrendered our tickets to the attendant and opened our diaper bag to be searched. The first thing that happened was that we were stripped of our sunscreen.
That attendant sent us off to someone else to have our bag checked and tagged, but she insisted that my fair haired husband, toddler, and I would not be allowed in with our sunscreen
(aerosol? metal can? I don't know why). I don't know how many of you have ever sunscreened a child, but the sprays make it SO much easier. I got permission to apply it to Duncan first, and then threw away $10.99 worth of sunscreen, SPF 50.
We proceeded to the second attendant to have our diaper bag searched. I was immediately told that my diaper bag was "an adult sized backpack" and that backpacks were not allowed inside the stadium. That was when I lost my temper.
That diaper bag, although it DOES resemble an adult size backpack, has been packed and ready for anything since before March 12, 2006. As I told her, it was purchased from Babies-R-Us as a diaper bag, and I had been carrying it as such for two years. Some of the things in our diaper bag that day included: sunscreen, snacks for Duncan, bottled water, diapers, wipes, changing pad, a change of clothes for Duncan, Benadryl (as per Dr. Gray-Clarke) in case we discover that he's allergic to bees the first time he gets stung, Aleve for Mama and Daddy, snacks for Mama and Daddy, my wallet, several magazines for me, my new camera, and books for Duncan. We needed it all; honestly, we did.
You see, although we are always prepared for any inevitability, we were also prepared for a long day. Our trip to Yankee Stadium entailed a car trip to the train station, two hour train ride, followed a subway, followed by our time in the Stadium, followed by the subway, followed by the train, followed by the car. We left the house at 8; we got home at 5; we only watched 3 innings of baseball. That is a long time to be away from home with a child under 5, who could become hungry, bored, thirsty, or covered in poop at any moment.
I lost my cool. I was told that I would have to store my diaper bag across the street at the bowling alley (which cost an additional $5) after I transferred all my necessities into transparent plastic bags. After I yelled (and I DID yell), I stormed off to deal with our belongings. Jamie tried to talk sense into the attendant, who admitted the backpack policy had only been in place for two days. I was so angry that I had absolutely no idea what I was repacking to take in with me. The bag ladies were incredibly nice although they could not solve my problem. The bowling alley guy was incredibly nice although he charged me $5 to babysit my diaper bag. The security guy who let us back told us we should complain, we really should. At Jamie's urging, I calmed down enough that I could still create a nice memory with my son, but it was difficult.
So what? It was just a diaper bag. I don't know what set me off. It was the insistence that my diaper bag was not a diaper bag...(don't tell me I'm wrong when I KNOW I'm right). It was being stripped of my right to carry my belongings in a bag of my choosing. It was the fact that an already complicated day was further complicated by yet another complication. Yes, I know I used the word complicate 3 times in the same sentence; I did if for effect. It was the mother bear response to a perceived threat to my child. It was the knowledge that Yankee Stadium was simply trying to keep me safe from the terrorists and that in their own small way, the terrorists had won. I could not get through my day at Yankee Stadium without thinking of them. Maybe you think it was just a diaper bag; to me, it was a civil right.
It turned out fine. We got our diaper bag back; Duncan was none the wiser that Mama was pissed off as hell. As I said before, it really was an awesome day. "Wow, oh Wow! Yankees Mama, Yankees!" But it has to make you think.
1 comment:
Sorry, but this just made me realize just how scary loving someone so small can be. I had a small panic today when I thought the diaper bag I packed was left behind and I was WAY too far from either home or bag to retrieve it before the inevitable diaper alarm got tripped. I started imagining all the things I could use as a make-shift diaper. When I did have to pull over, the bag magically appeared. It's like the mother's life savor, with my bag I can manage anything, without it... Throw in the threat of terrorism and I'm blowing my top, too. I feel for your Yankees experience and I'm glad you took your time to focus on the positive of the experience before simmering again. I'm so glad we got to visit yesterday, I need a good laugh from time to time now more than I know.
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