Tattooed parents: How do you feel about your children getting tattoos?

I won’t care at all. I’ll probably really like it if he enjoys getting tattoos, like I enjoy getting them.

I’m not a parent yet, but I am hoping that i’m not so hypocritical that I would be upset over something I have done a number of times. Personally I believe tattooing is a beautiful art form when done right and I don’t think I would have any problem with my kids getting them.

I have my entire back tattooed and a bunch more all over my body – my 1st son (who’s 2 and 7 months) likes to look at them and thinks not much of them, my second’s too young still…but in terms of them getting tattoos, of course I won’t care and will advise them to think a bit before getting some so that it’s at least meaningful to them and to consider their future careers a bit, since many fields are uptight…and it would be important to me to find an artist I trust in terms of quality and safety

Well my mother is a dermatologist who removes tattoos a lot. She has one and she says that if I ever got one I would have no inheritance

if and when my daughters want tattoos i will guide them through, who is better,what to get,where to get it.
but they will be told that it will NEVER come off and may hurt (depending where its at).
also they shall be told all the information they will need.
it would be hypocritical of me to say no or anyone else to say no if they them selves are tattooed or pierced.

I like to think I’ll be alright with it if my boys get tattoos, but I can’t say for sure.

I would apply the same rule my non-tattooed parents applied to me. Once you are eighteen, you can make that decision for yourself. I would also encourage either of my children to wait (like I did) until after your early twenties and if you still want one, make sure you research what it is like to get one, to care for one and the risks. Also, I would explain how important it is to make sure you are getting one in the safest manner possible.

I’m not going to by hypocritical about it, but I would hope that they wouldn’t rush into the decision. I waited for a very long time before I made my final decision to get one.

These are all good answers. I asked because I have heard parents with tattoos forbid their children from getting them and this has always seemed silly to me. Thank you all for your input. :)

well, i’m not tattooed at all and neither is my wife, but my son—because of his peers who find this “cool”—has one. in my youth, getting your ears pierced was cool and trendy. i had my ears pierced around 1994 when i was in my early 30s. divorce can make you feel raunchy like that. i wore earrings in one or two years in my mid-life around 40-something or so, but today i choose to go without.

that’s all to say, times are a changing, but they stay the same.

My son isn’t even 2 yet, so I probably wouldn’t be ok with it any time soon. But when he’s old enough, he can do what he wants. Tattoos, even bad ones, aren’t the end of the world. They don’t change a person.

oh, how do i feel? my advice is, son, you don’t need to do that. you might regret it in the long run. if you want that high-paying office job, that TAT better not be on your neck.

and for my daughter: “WHERE IS IT?” ok, you done put a TAT on your lower back! not good, even though i don’t know it’s there, you’re advertising it for somebody who will actually see it. red flag, mom and dad.

My dermatologist says the bulk of her business is removing tattoos. She is getting rich of this horrible fad. I have none, my children and my grandchildren have none. None of my nieces and nephews have any, and I am so grateful. I do not like to see tattoos on people, but I would not suggest banning them. To each his own, I guess.

@yarnlady uhh, i don’t view my tattoos as a “horrible fad” thanks.

@Yarnlady: Were you referring to the removal of tattoos or the tattoos themselves? If it is the former, I agree. You should not get tattoos unless you are sure that you will keep them in the future. Removal is painful and expensive and can leave a scar uglier than the tattoo. However, if you meant that the tattoos themselves are the horrible fad, well, people have been getting tattoos since they figured out how to fill wounds with some kind of ink. the word “tattoo” actually refers to the tapping sound made when the original tattoo artists would use sharpened sticks to put the pattern into the skin. Therefore, it is not a fad. The Maori of new Zealand have been tattooing themselves for thousands of years. They are not horrible marks. They are tribal affiliations and denote rank and/or place in the tribe. They are, in fact, lovely and an integral part of the culture.

And, unless you scrutinize the naked bodies of your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews on a regular basis, you have no proof that they don’t have tattoos. Given how you feel about tattoos, it is not inconceivable that they would not want you to know. My mother has 3 tattoos and my grandmother knows about 1 of them. Just a thought. :)

Personally, I really like my tattoos and they mean something to me.

@cak: The way I see it, I’ve made decisions that have had a greater effect on me, whether that effect is negative or positive, than getting a tattoo, but no one tells me I’m going to regret those because they don;t leave a visual mark.

@casheroo: I am merely stating a personal opinion. I realize many disagree with that.
@ KatawaGrey: I recognize the history of it, but the fad I am referring is the people who have it done because celebrities have made it “popular” and these people are the ones who follow the “fashion” of the day. I agree about the family, they are very respectful children and might want to spare my feelings. I know they are careful with their language, because they know my feelings about that.

@Yarnlady: Well, that makes sense. I do agree with you on that because I know a number of people around my age who get tiny tattoos because they like the idea of tattoos (but not the tattoos themselves). In the future, if you could clarify what you mean, that would avoid comments such as the ones in response to what you said.

@Yarnlady, that does make sense. I certainly took my time making my decision and that is exactly why I would expect my children to do the same. I don’t want them following a fad – if it’s something they want to do, I want it to have a personal reason behind it – not just because some celebrity did got one.

@KatawaGrey: point taken, I try to keep my communications short and to the point, sometimes to a fault.