You are totally not being unreasonable. I feel a rant coming on...
I don't get why people think they need to have the entire contents of their house in their handluggage on a plane.
I frequently do reasonably long haul (7-8 hours depending on the wind) and have realised all I need is my handbag, which doesn't need ANY liquid in at all. I wear slip on shoes, trousers that fit (so no belt required) and my travelling handbag has an outside pocket that is just the right size for a passport to go into so its always at hand. At Abu Dhabi airport if I'm on the morning flight rather than the red eye, I can be through the baggage drop, through passport control and the scanners and in the bar departure lounge within 10 minutes of my arrival at the airport. Even late at night when its busier, its 20-25 mins max
If I have to take my work laptop, I don't take a handbag on the plane. Simple. Laptop and iPad come out and through the scanner, everything else stays in.
And if you know you're going through a scanner (well, durrrrrrrr if you're at an airport) why would you have loads of loose change in your pockets. That's what a purse is for.
Before people whinge at this point of view, I know its different with children, but still, some element of control over this is required. And I don't get why parents would allow even 11 year olds to pack their own hand luggage when there are such strict rules - how do you know that they won't just add something stupid like their toy knives or actual knives so they can eat their dinner, or stink bombs or other such nonsense that is likely to get you all in bother and waste your time as well as everyone elses.
Oh and just to add - nobody needs their sunglasses on a plane. Why they cannot be in a glasses case in your handbag/hand luggage, I do not know. Nothing will ever convince me otherwise. Then again, this one really gets my goat, people thinking it necessary to wear sunglasses inside buildings. Take them off, you look like a dick. And I am getting riled up because I have a meeting in 30 minutes with a dick who always has his sunglasses on his head throughout the meeting every week and I just want to pull them off his head and throw them out of the 13th floor window.
Ooooh that was a nice rant for so early in a morning, I enjoyed that 