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How to make the family vacation airport experience less of a nightmare
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Flying with children can be a nightmare. But there are easy, high-tech ways to drastically cut wait times and make the airport experience much nicer. - photo by Amy Iverson
If any of you have ever taken your family on an airplane for a vacation, you know what a headache the airport can be.

The Transportation Security Agency has hired more officers and brags that the majority of fliers wait no more than 30 minutes to get through security. But as any parent knows, 30 minutes zigzagging through the security line with toddlers can seem more like a lifetime in purgatory.

Maybe you give your biggest puppy eyes to the TSA agent, hoping they will allow your family to go in what looks like a fast lane. Once in a while, they lift up that black vinyl belt and let people slip into that line that seems to be zooming past. But that is happening less and less.

A TSA spokesman recently told Time, In the future, we intend to only have enrolled or pre-vetted passengers, or those screened by K9s, in the expedited screening lanes.

And so, it is time.

For less than $20 per year, you could always be in that jet-setting fast lane, and slash your average security wait time. Last month, 97 percent of people participating in the TSAs PreCheck program waited less than five minutes.

In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security started the Trusted Traveler program where airline passengers go through an in-depth security check prior to ever buying a ticket. Then, when that person needs to go through airport security, some big time perks help them breeze through.

TSA PreCheck passengers are NOT forced to remove: shoes, laptops, liquids, belts or light jackets. I was sold the minute they told me I got to keep my shoes on.

It takes about five minutes to sign up online and schedule an appointment at an enrollment center (located at most airports and several other locations). The in-person interview is mostly verifying questions you answered online, but also includes a fingerprint scan and will take about 10 minutes.

Completing the five-year enrollment will cost you $85 and will include kids under 12 who are traveling with you. Check this complete list for credit cards and loyalty programs that will foot the enrollment fee for you.

It will take two to three weeks to receive your Known Traveler Number (KTN) that you should then register with any frequent flier programs you use (19 airlines participate in the PreCheck program). Then, each time you fly, your boarding pass will indicate you are part of the PreCheck program and you gain entry to that special fast lane.

Make sure its on the boarding pass; agents wont let you in the expedited lane without it. While the official rule is that each person 13 and older must have their own KTN, the agents sometimes let that slide.

On our way to Hawaii last year, the TSA official allowed my husband, two teens and my younger son in the PreCheck lane with me, even though I was the only one with PreCheck status. The $85 was worth it for that trip alone.

I wish I had done a little more research before signing up for TSA PreCheck, though, because I would have spent an extra $15 and gone for Global Entry. Maybe you dont fly internationally very often, but in the past few years, I realized I travelled to Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas. Global Entry does for international travel what TSA PreCheck does for domestic flights.

The best part may be that you dont have to fill out those blue customs forms when coming back to the United States. Instead, you use a kiosk that does everything electronically and quickly. It takes your picture, scans your fingerprints, and prints out a receipt that you hand to a customs agent on your way out. I will definitely do this when my PreCheck expires in a couple years.

As I flew home from Denver a few days ago, I was happily moving through my TSA PreCheck lane, feeling sorry for those in the normal security line, when I looked over and saw yet another, even faster line. Every so often a person would zoom past me in this third lane reserved for Clear members.

I found out Clear is yet another airport shortcut option (only at 22 airports so far) that eliminates the requirement for a real live person to check your boarding pass and identification. A kiosk scans a users fingerprint or iris and they jump in front of everyone right to the metal detectors. It costs $185 per year and seems like it would be worth it for a very frequent flier to specific airports.

Every time I encourage people to sign up for TSA PreCheck, other PreCheckers get angry because they want it to remain a well-kept secret (about 4 million people are currently signed up). Complainers say that the more people who enroll in PreCheck, the longer well all have to wait. But its too good to keep to myself. So join in and come with me to the land of shorter security lines, just as long as youre behind me in the line.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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