I went to Summerfest multiple times this year with adults, and today, I took my kids. Needless to say, it was quite a different experience.

Our visit didn't start out on the best foot. Before going through the turnstiles to have our tickets zapped, we went through security. I had my "mom" backpack, filled with sweatshirts, snacks, (empty) water bottles, sun screen, Matchbox cars and the like, so the security gal made me step to the side so she could dig through the contents of my bag and make sure I wasn't hiding a weapon in my peanut-filled Ziploc.

My husband and other son cruised through the entrance and were already waiting for us inside the gates.

I handed our remaining two tickets to my older son so I could help security go through my belongings, and in the meantime, Kai noticed a barrel with a plastic lid on it with a slit in the top. It was entirely too tempting, I guess, and he slipped the tickets through the slit -- a perfect fit! -- and into the barrel. When he told me what he had done in a quiet little voice I didn't think it was a big deal, until security told me the barrel was filled with confiscated weapons (mostly switchblades) and that it was locked. She had to call the head of security to open it up, and said it might take a while.

Looking through the slit into the barrel, I could see two crisp tickets on top of a pile of knives. I asked if we could be let in anyway and they could scan the tickets whenever the head security dude arrived. Another security guy said no because they weren't certain my tickets were valid. I was annoyed, but understood "rules are rules."

Luckily, after about 10 minutes, two official looking security men came, unlocked the barrel and handed us our tickets. We joined my husband and son -- as well as a couple of friends -- and tried to put this near fiasco behind us.

We started our day at the OnMilwaukee.com-sponsored stage and watched the Blood Stones play a cover by the Black Crowes. Halfway through the song, a security guy approached my husband and said my son could not sit on his shoulders. I asked why and he said that someone out of control could knock my husband over and injure my child. I thought this was funny, because there were probably three dozen people watching the band.

However, "rules are rules," and so my husband less than enthusiastically brought Levi down from his shoulders.

I'm really not complaining about Summerfest security, they were just doing their jobs. But my husband and I found it humorous that somehow we had escaped run-ins with Summerfest security for years despite our rebellious youth, and here we were, trying to be responsible parents -- beerless, no less! -- and still making trouble.