Kids 16 and under with tatoos? Mostly girls. WWYD?

[daisax]

The "tramp stamps" that are so popular with teens & young adults aren't something that will be showing when they're at work.

Then how come I've counted at least 6 or 7 in our office?

Bending over to use low file drawers or reaching up to hold on to straps on the bus tends to make untucked blouses ride up. And they show through sheer blouses.

Believe me - it's not like I am staring at the gals in the office, and it's not like they're dressed inappropriately at work, because most of the time they're not. But I do think a lot of women are not aware just how often their lower back tattoos are showing, even when their underwear is not.

I've heard that they're coming out with 5 and 10 year ink -- I think that's a great step forward, and settles the problem for me -- if a teen wants such a tattoo but has the option of being truly free of it in 5-10 years, I might think it's a silly thing to do, but not irreversible and therefore not that big a deal. And if they had 3-6 month tattoos, I might even consider getting one!

I always enjoyed the ones in the cracker jacks boxes.

 

[Tigger2252]

I got my tattoo when I turned 40. I wasn't suffering from peer pressure, following the herd, and I don't believe I'm trampy. I thought about the design carefully and it has personal meaning for me. I'm 47 now and I still love it. I am not the least bit worried about what it will look like when I'm 85. It's on my ankle so my support hose should cover it. My oldest daughter got her first tattoo when she was 18. There was nothing I could do to prevent it so I went with her to try to steer her decision a bit. I reminded her that her body will change shape many times as she gets older and to be careful where she put it. She ended up with a tiny butterfly on her ankle.

 

[luvmy3]

I'm sure the fad will pass and then there will be big money to be made in removing them from people. Thankfully my kids think they are unattractive.

Some of us who aren't all THAT old remember when they were only on bikers and guys who had been in the Navy.

Not 16 year old girls.

I'm 36 and when I was 16 it was very common to see teens with tats. That was 20 years ago, when something last 20 years or more its not consider a fad.

I loathe tattoos. In my state, it is illegal to tattoo someone under 18 even if the parents give consent. If a child of mine came home with a tattoo, I would contact the police and report the place.

The child would be grounded for life, and she would be on her own once she hit 18. We would not fund her college education as we are planning to do. Our rules on this are crystal clear--no tattoos or body modification on our dime.

As the parent of your children you have every right to punish as you see fit but I would never withold college funding for things as trivial (compared to drugs or arrests) as a tattoo. The tat will be there regardless and I would rather see my kids go to college then decide that if mom and dad won't help pay then they aren't going to go at all because they can't afford to by themselves.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

I would never get a tattoo and I am 15, almost 16.
Mostly it is my fear of needles..

IMO, think of how that tattoo will look when you are old and wrinkly.

 

[JEmaryland]

I would never get a tattoo and I am 15, almost 16.
Mostly it is my fear of needles..

IMO, think of how that tattoo will look when you are old and wrinkly.

With the sagging breasts, varicose veins, stretch marks and struggling to pay for my prescriptions, I'm sure the two small stars on my hips with be the least of my worries.

 

[Pigeon]

As the parent of your children you have every right to punish as you see fit but I would never withold college funding for things as trivial (compared to drugs or arrests) as a tattoo. The tat will be there regardless and I would rather see my kids go to college then decide that if mom and dad won't help pay then they aren't going to go at all because they can't afford to by themselves.

Passing on the college education would entirely be the child's decision.

 

[imabrat]

As the parent of your children you have every right to punish as you see fit but I would never withold college funding for things as trivial (compared to drugs or arrests) as a tattoo. The tat will be there regardless and I would rather see my kids go to college then decide that if mom and dad won't help pay then they aren't going to go at all because they can't afford to by themselves.

With the sagging breasts, varicose veins, stretch marks and struggling to pay for my prescriptions, I'm sure the two small stars on my hips with be the least of my worries.

Nobody even knows if we're going to live to be old. Tomorrow is never promised. If getting a tattoo brings temporary or permanent happiness, go for it!

 

[robinb]

Yup, they would be out at 18 and I wouldn't pay for college. We don't make idle threats and we never have. The kids know this very well. If we say there are consequences for an act, they know that we will follow though. This has been true since they were very small. It makes life easier all around for everyone to know exactly what to expect.

Wow. I could not imagine kicking a child out of the house and denying them a college education just because they violated something as minor (in the grand scheme of things) as a "no tattoos" rule. That just seems really over the top. Your kids are still young and still a few years from being teens. I will be interested to see how your "my road or the high road" form of parenting holds up to the rigors of teenagers, High School, hormones and natural rebellion.

Back to the Original Topic ... I would be disappointed if my DD came home with a tattoo while she was a minor without my permission. First of all, because she did something behind my back. There would be consequences for that kind of thing ... what ever will work that best by then (grounding, loss of cell phone, going out, etc). I would be especially angry because I am sure that the artistic quality of some back-yard tat is far worse than what the established artists do here in Madison. ETA: Not to mention the safely of needles/etc! If she is going to have a tattoo, I would want her to have one that is professionally done and looked good.

FWIW, I went on a Carnival cruise last year and I would say that about 70% of the young people (male and female) had tattoos. It appears to have become a rite of passage for teens and young adults.

 

[luvmy3]

Passing on the college education would entirely be the child's decision.

So you have no problem with your child making the decision themselves to pass on a college education, but they can't make the decision themselves to get a tattoo before the age of 18

 

[ozarkmom]

I know in Arkansas and Missouri the age is 16 with a parent. They make copies of the drivers licenses and record the parental consent. I'm not saying there are no parlours that break the law but why risk your business over that. Like someone else mentioned the home tatoo parties are becoming popular. I have a friend who has been having these at her house.

 

[C.Ann]

Under 18, absolutely not.. After 18? Not much a parent can do about it..

I don't care for men with tatoos of any sort - and it really pains me when I see brides in a beautiful wedding dress - only to have this horribly, ugly tatoo in plain sight..

Add to that the concern over conditions and instruments that aren't as clean as they should be (something you would never know simply from the appearance of the tatoo parlor) and there is no way in heck I would consider that a smart choice..

However, once a person becomes an adult, it's their choice.. Either they will be happy with it - or at some point later in life, they will be very sorry that they ever chose to get one.. Not a decision to be entered into lightly..

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Wow what an interesting thread.

Here I am a 35 year old woman, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a PTA President, a Girl Scout troop leader, a Masters Degree holder, a dreamer, and I happen to have 6 tattoos.

I have no regrets for any of them! I have actually gotten all of them after my dd was born.

DD at 8 has no desire to get a real tattoo. She prefers the pretend kind because she can constantly change it.

Would I let her get one as a minor? Probably not. Would she get in trouble if she got one behind my back? Oh yeah.

I guess I should mention that 5 of my tattoos are from the first time I had cancer. See they tattooed me with blue dots so I would be in the exact same position each and every day I had to go in for radiation. They wanted to make sure it hit the exact location.

Once I was done with radiation I decided hey - since I have all of these blue dots that are not going anywhere, plus the hidesous scar from the surgery when they removed my lung - I might as well get the tattoo I have always wanted. And I did right above my scar on my left shoulder blade.

I love it when people notice my tattoo. Which is not often at all since I do not have many shirts that show it.

They only notice the blue dots if I wear very revealing tops (which I do not often).

 

[NotUrsula]

Interesting that the one thing that no one's mentioned is the issue of intimacy. I *loathe* tattoos, and I guarantee you that if I were still single, finding one under the clothing of someone I was about to go to bed with would be an instant deal-killer. No way would I ever have married someone who had one, and no way would I stay married to someone who got one without consulting me on it.

DH happens to have the same opinion about them; he finds them repellant on women. He says that he's not going to bed with any men, so he doesn't really care about what's under their clothes.

People have different viewpoints about the things that they find sexually repellant, and the truth is, there are an awful lot of people for whom tattoos (especially on women) are just a deal-breaker. You can't help the body that you are born with, and everyone gets old eventually, but (for other than a holocaust survivor or a cancer victim) tatooing is a deliberate choice, and one that could easily cost you a relationship.

 

[imabrat]

Interesting that the one thing that no one's mentioned is the issue of intimacy. I *loathe* tattoos, and I guarantee you that if I were still single, finding one under the clothing of someone I was about to go to bed with would be an instant deal-killer. No way would I ever have married someone who had one, and no way would I stay married to someone who got one without consulting me on it.

DH happens to have the same opinion about them; he finds them repellant on women. He says that he's not going to bed with any men, so he doesn't really care about what's under their clothes.

People have different viewpoints about the things that they find sexually repellant, and the truth is, there are an awful lot of people for whom tattoos (especially on women) are just a deal-breaker. You can't help the body that you are born with, and everyone gets old eventually, but (for other than a holocaust survivor or a cancer victim) tatooing is a deliberate choice, and one that could easily cost you a relationship.

If someone can't accept you for who you are, they don't deserve you anyway. JMO.

 

[robinb]

If someone can't accept you for who you are, they don't deserve you anyway. JMO.

{shrug} Everyone has "deal breakers". Mine is people who smoke. She and her DH are allowed to have their own deal breaker, even though it would disqualify people like you.

 

[luvmy3]

{shrug} Everyone has "deal breakers". Mine is people who smoke. She and her DH are allowed to have their own deal breaker, even though it would disqualify people like you.

True and I could definitely see smoking being a deal breaker but its something that is known up front. If you (assuming you were dating) see a man you are interested in and then he lights up, you could just pass him by. I see a "hidden tattoo" as something totally different especially if its a man you have fallen in love with and then decide to become intimate with and discover his tat. I think it would be hard to just walk away because of it.

 

[ameraumi]

DS has been saying he wants a tat of a purple ribbon in honor of his dad/my DH that just passed from Pancreatic Cancer. I will not allow it yet as we are all still grieving his loss. I would rather he gave it time to really think about this and not rush into it.

I personally would not get one, but I am such a baby when it comes to pain.

 

[imabrat]

{shrug} Everyone has "deal breakers". Mine is people who smoke. She and her DH are allowed to have their own deal breaker, even though it would disqualify people like you.

I know, I'm the exact same way. But, alot of people's tattoos represent something important in their life - a loss, achieving something, etc. It becomes a part of who they are. If someone hates tattoos so much that they can't accept their SO's tattoos, maybe they shouldn't be in that relationship.

 

[MomofKatie]

I don't have any tattoos and wouldn't ever get one. I don't care, however, if anyone else has one- they aren't me, and they can make their own decisions about their own bodies.

I can, however, have an opinion about that person based on them being tattooed. Just as they can have an opinion about me being overweight. They can't stop what I think, and I can't stop what they think. As long as we don't come out and announce our personal opinions, I am perfectly OK with everyone having them.

I have a 10 year old DD, and I don't want her to get inked. I know that she might want to get a tattoo, though, and as long as she is over 18 when she gets one, I would have to put up with her having it. Would I throw her out of the house if she got one? No, but I would let her know I was disappointed.

 

[MichelleVW]

Interesting that the one thing that no one's mentioned is the issue of intimacy. I *loathe* tattoos, and I guarantee you that if I were still single, finding one under the clothing of someone I was about to go to bed with would be an instant deal-killer. No way would I ever have married someone who had one, and no way would I stay married to someone who got one without consulting me on it.

DH happens to have the same opinion about them; he finds them repellant on women. He says that he's not going to bed with any men, so he doesn't really care about what's under their clothes.

People have different viewpoints about the things that they find sexually repellant, and the truth is, there are an awful lot of people for whom tattoos (especially on women) are just a deal-breaker. You can't help the body that you are born with, and everyone gets old eventually, but (for other than a holocaust survivor or a cancer victim) tatooing is a deliberate choice, and one that could easily cost you a relationship.

That just seems really shallow to me. If you love someone enough to go to sleep with them you would leave them over a tattoo?

If someone can't accept you for who you are, they don't deserve you anyway. JMO.

seriously, unless your tattoo is something huge and offensive across your face I really can't see it as that big of a deal.