„You alright?“ Asked the border force agent. „Yes,“ we said, cautiously.
It was the first time we returned to the UK as a family, weary of questions the agent would ask.
For the border force, we are a mismatched family with different surnames and different nationalities within the family.
Moreover, I do not have settled status in the UK yet.
So, all of this made me particularly unsettled and increasingly terrified of border checks.
It’s a bitter taste at border control now. Yes of course border controls aren’t usually a pleasant experience because borders are not pleasant. The fact that - and I know that I am repeating myself here - nothing has changed yet for me as an EU citizen does not help because the sentiment has shifted in society and politics.
To be fair, the agent wasn’t unfriendly at all, but the stories you read constantly about EU citizens being questioned entering the UK, parents being asked for birth certificates of their children when the surnames do not match yours make you weary of potential hurdles.
Flying with babies has upsides though. It’s unbelievably stressful too, but people LIKE you because they like infants and TALK to you. Our son was two months old when we went through Heathrow security and everyone was delighted to see a tiny person. They asked how old the baby is, if he’s going to see the grandparents. Where you’re flying to. Of course, you might not like that. But as a proud mama, I did.
You do get funny interactions, too. „So where are you flying to?“ a traveller asked at the security belt. „Hanover,“ I said. „Family visit.“ „Does the child get dual citizenship then?“ the man asked. „Sure,“ I responded. „Excellent!“ Said the guy and left for duty free.
Sidenote: I also think that food delivery drivers are nicer to us as well with our bulk buying nappy orders. Although the questions from strangers asking why the baby is crying are completely unnecessary. WHY do you think a baby is crying? „Because he’s in pain over the current state of the UK,“ I should answer. But I don’t. I smile and say politely that he’s hungry. You may never know, after all it could be an off-duty border agent.
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