At what age would you let your child get a tattoo?

[FireDancer]

I haven't read the thread so this has probably come up but I think kids should wait until they are 18 and I wouldn't sign a consent form for my kids to get one. I have seen a lot of teens with neck tattoos or tattoos on other hard to hide areas and wonder if they gave any long term thought to it and how it might impact employment in the future.

I can only imagine someone coming in here, where we have conservative executives, and trying o get a job with a neck or face tattoo.

I personally have never found anything I want permanently attached to my body so I don't have one. If I ever do think of something I wouldn't be opposed to a tattoo but I haven't yet.

 

[beattyfamily]

NEVER!

My daughters know how I feel about tattoos.

They are not allowed until they are adults. Then I can't stop them. But I will still try to talk them out of it.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I would never allow my daughters to get tattoos until they are 18. Even at that point I would probably do anything to stop them! We live in a very conservative area...that would never fly here.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

So far, I have dodged the tattoo bullet with my teens. BUT, they pitched a fit, along with my DH, when I wanted to get a small tattoo on my lower shoulder of The Beatles logo for my 35th birthday. That made me sooooo mad. I mean, this was going to be a small tattoo, it would be covered at all times, except if i was wearing a tank top or bathing suit. I'm still upset that I let the three of them talk me out of it.

 

[Robinrs]

He can do it after I'm dead...

 

[clarabelle]

not until they can sign for it

I would however pay for a henna tattoo

 

[Minnesota!]

I can't for the life of me imagine such an 'exceptional circumstance'.

My best friend has a friend whose 15 year old daughter is dying of cancer. She (the 15 year old) wanted a tattoo...it was on her bucket list. She got one! A gorgeous tattoo on her forearm that says something about strength, love, & hope. That is an exceptional circumstance.

I can't imagine cutting my child off like that over a silly tattoo. There are so many big issues to worry about and if a young adult has done well for 2 years in college I can't see getting that bent out of shape over a tattoo.

In my opinion that is just silly. Do you (people that oppose spending money on tattoos) let your college age children spend money on other things? cd's, fast food, movies? Because they could be spending that money on other things too. My college age DD spends way more on clothes a year than her one small tattoo cost.

Agreed. Trying to sabotage your daughter's future because of some ink on her skin? Wow..


I love tattoos - well, I love well done tattoos...well thought out tattoos. I just got my first one last month for my 32nd birthday. I adore it and still stare at it daily (it's on the outside of my left thigh...between my knee and hip. Easy to show others, easy for me to see, easy to cover up!

I wouldn't allow my child, though, to get one before 18. And even then I would ask them to hold off a bit to really think it through. It took me a LONG time and quite a few life experiences to come up with what I wanted.

 

[hereyago]

At 13, do they realize that tattoo may change as they haven't stopped growing? And honestly, unless it was a matter of the couple exemptions written about on this thread, why would a business owner-tattoo shop-want to do that to a minor child of that age even if the parent signed the consent form?

DD11 would have to be 18, no sooner then that.

 

[Julia M]

y daughter can get a tattoo when she is 100% self-sufficient.

That means I no longer assist her with college expenses, cell phone, insurance, she doesn't live me at all, etc. It must be 100%.

She's only 15 and I doubt she will even want one when she is 18, but that is my rule.

In my opinion, if she has enough money for a tattoo, then that money should be going towards something else I may be paying for at the time.

And I'm not at all against tattoos. I have one on my stomach. But I was 29 (nearly 30) when I got it.

Mostly I just want her to be absolutely sure it is what she wants before she rushes out to get one.

I have a 15 dd, too. I wouldn't allow it-not that she has asked, however. I can't imagine she will, though-she hates needles so much she had a cavity filled without Novocaine, because she doesn't want a shot.

I did allow a henna tattoo one summer, I've let her highlight her hair, too. She has her ears pierced, but I won't allow a second piercing.

She once told me (in a fit of 13 year old defiance-she's much nicer now) that the day she was 18 she would get her ear pierced, because she was an adult and "could do whatever I want". I told her that was true, but then let her know her she was an adult I was no longer legally responsible for her either..which means I don't have to pay for college, her cell phone, clothes, and so on, and didn't even need to give her a place to live. Truly, she was stunned-you could tell she had never put two and two together before. That conversation ended abruptly! (Not that I would allow a body piercing or tattoo to end our relationship, but she doesn't need to know that now)

Julia

 

[declansdad]

CDs, fast food and movies are fleeting. Permanent disfigurement is not.

It is still spending money that could be used for other more important things while at school.

I can't imagine cutting off a college-aged child and jeopardizing their schooling because they got a tattoo.

To answer the op - 18 years old.

 

[Gigi22]

How about when the child is old enough to sign his or her own release, and has enough money in the bank to get the resulting tattoo lasered off? Unless, of course, the child wishes to join the circus as the tattooed lady?

 

[locolala]

18, because any legit shop won't tattoo before that. Same with piercings other than ear piercings. Once my daughter is 18, I'd gladly go with her. I'd be a horrible hypocrite if I didn't, I have 4 tattoos (getting more once she's born) and my husband has 4 as well with more planned. All of my tattoos are in places that I can cover up while in a business suit or scrubs (I work in scrubs, so that was important) and my husband's are in places that don't show when he's in a teeshirt. I've also had piercings, all of which I removed when I joined the military.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I can only imagine someone coming in here, where we have conservative executives, and trying o get a job with a neck or face tattoo.

This reminds me of a woman I once knew. I knew her from elsewhere, but we each worked for different CPA firms that merged. She was complaining to me one day that they never let her see clients and she didn't understand why.

I had to tell her, um, maybe it's your bright pink hair?

She really didn't get it.

 

[declansdad]

This reminds me of a woman I once knew. I knew her from elsewhere, but we each worked for different CPA firms that merged. She was complaining to me one day that they never let her see clients and she didn't understand why.

I had to tell her, um, maybe it's your bright pink hair?

She really didn't get it.

Was she a good accountant?

 

[Mrs.Toad]

Was she a good accountant?

You know, I don't really recall. Good enough not to fire, I guess, she had worked there for a few years. I never really worked with her, she was in a different department.

 

[rie'smom]

When my daughter is old enough not to need my permission and can pay for it herself. I'm hoping she'll get over it by then. She has a friend who was 12 and went to a person who did tatoos. The girl's mother didn't have a problem with it. Needless to say, that friendship was quashed.

 

[disykat]

It is still spending money that could be used for other more important things while at school.

I can't imagine cutting off a college-aged child and jeopardizing their schooling because they got a tattoo.

To answer the op - 18 years old.

Although I wasn't one who said I would cut off funding if they got a tatoo once they were legally able to on their own, IMO, it's not "cutting them off" if someone does so. My kids know that there are certain conditions to me continuing to support them financially once they are old enough to support themselves. They have to be willing to accept a lower level of independence. If I'm paying, I still have input. I'm guessing it would not be a surprise to any still dependent student if their parent felt this way about tatoos, so getting one would be a deliberate statement. Their choice, but they have to accept the consequences.

 

[Briarmom]

When they're legally adults and they can pay for it themselves.

I am going to take my kids to at least one of my appointments to have mine removed so they can see how much it hurts.

 

[FireDancer]

Although I wasn't one who said I would cut off funding if they got a tatoo once they were legally able to on their own, IMO, it's not "cutting them off" if someone does so. My kids know that there are certain conditions to me continuing to support them financially once they are old enough to support themselves. They have to be willing to accept a lower level of independence. If I'm paying, I still have input. I'm guessing it would not be a surprise to any still dependent student if their parent felt this way about tatoos, so getting one would be a deliberate statement. Their choice, but they have to accept the consequences.

When I read that post this is what I was thinking. If they knew the consequence of getting a tattoo was an end to funding and got it anyway they implicitly accepted the consequences by doing the action.

If the topic was never discussed and the person was cut off not knowing in advance that that would be the consequence it is a different story.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

at what age I would allow it?


how about 35 or 36...