To NOT want my DD to get a tattoo?

[neiljames77]

She's 18 tomorrow and I have so far told her I don't want her to have one.
After tomorrow though, I have no say at all. Some of her friends have them and they look hideous and have even ruined their career prospects by having them.

I have two. Regret both. One done at 15 (i had parental consent) and one while drunk at 18.

Neither is great. The one at 15 is so small and its a tramp stamp Can be hid though.

The offender is the pissed up one on my wrist. It is terrible and I don't think it can be fixed. Mum has asked me not to get any more but it is mu choice as I am 23.

I will have more once I can afford one and have thought it through this time.

As long as she gets them in places they can easily be covered then it shouldn't be an issue.

neil sorry but take it from someone who has been there, on the exact same wage, and at relatively the same age. She will be able to afford some luxuries.

Plus you can't tell the future, you don't know if she'll also have a partner there to help her financially.

And we weren't talking about being a care assistant, we were talking about nursing. Your calculations will be correct for a care assistant. :)

Tattoos are so mainstream now.They don't limit Career choices

My police force don't recruit people with visible tattoos any more - including forearm. I believe this is the same for most police forces, they have so many applicants they can afford to pick amd choose

And no-one is bloody looking for a stick to beat you with, just that if you're trying to put her off having a tattoo perhaps using the lack of funds in her career choice isn't the best way to do it.

"I have two. Regret both. One done at 15 (i had parental consent)"

If you're in the UK that's still illegal! The law here is no tattoos under 18, parental consent or no.

Emma It still happened. I said parental consent as in I didn't go behind parents back. My mum knew and she took me. Whether its illegal or not it happened.

Was it always illegal? I did it at 15 with parental consent too.

Oooh Google tells me since 1969! Naughty mother and naughty tattooist person.

A crap tramp stamp is exactly what you cam expect from a tattooist who will tattoo someone underage.

Parental consent or not in theory they could end up on the child protection register which is why no decent tatooist would consider it.

A few quid is not worth it.

Because a parent can't consent to an illegal activity.

Because a parent can't consent to an illegal activity.

Because a parent can't consent to an illegal activity.

I paid for my DD's first tattoo (on her back) she was 17, i was less than impressed when she followed this up with on her neck . She is 23 now and has no regrets and has since had a giant koi karp on her tummy that she designed herself and I have just given her part of the money to have a half sleeve done. She is in a high responsibility, customer facing role at work and she was employed despite the neck tattoo - I think they look amazing. Saying that i have tattoos myself. I would not be impressed with lower arm tattoos or anything on hands as they can't be covered.

Ok, I have been told that she'd start on £21,000/year.
Luckily, she won't have a student loan because I believe the government pay for her fees. Deduct tax and NI and she'll be left with roughly £17,000. (£340 per week)
Rent, on a half decent flat near where we live is £100-£140 per week.
Council tax would be £20 per week.
Utilities would be roughly £60 per week
Food and clothes, £60 ish???
That's £240-£280 per week.
She'd need to get a loan for a car (which would have to be in my name)
That would be at least £30 per week.
Fuel, £20 a week minimum.
Let's say she gets insurance for £3000 per year (unlikely), that's £60 per week.
That's a bare minimum of £350 a week.
She does have a BF but I've drummed it into both of them to be independent and never rely on a man for anything. If he behaves like an arse, she needs to be able to boot him out but still be able to cope financially.

I forgot to add that the reason i paid for and gave my blessing to my DD's tattoos is so she would make sensible choices (apart from the neck one ) and go to a reputable tattooist. She would have had them done anyway, so why not take an interest and ensure she doesn't have it done in her friends kitchen!

She could live in student accommodation and pay a lot less than that, couldn't she?

My DD has a mild health phobia. It comes in useful sometimes

She is off on a girls holiday next summer. I bet some of them come back with tattoos. I am already scaring her with thoughts of infections, dirty needles, blood poisoning etc < evil >

Oh, and I forgot to factor in road tax, MOT and servicing.

Tattoos are so mainstream now.They don't limit Career choices

Of course they do! How naive to think that they don't.
Discrete ones that can easily be covered with normal clothing, are not likely to be a problem, but anywhere visible, and an employer could definitely decide that you are not suitable.
Some employers wouldn't care, others would, so it definitely limits your employment opportunities.

My tramp stamp isn't crap! Its just a pathetic size as that's what I wanted at the time. Its to be extended.

There is nothing wrong with it. Its done correctly and I was chuffed with it when I got it. Its just as I've got older that I realise how small and pointless it is hence the extending plans.

Lem That's why my mum did it. She took me to a reputable place as she knew that that was better then me going to some dodgy house to have them done badly.

Neil, come on now

Hold the front page! Teenager has unrealistic idea of how much things cost in the real world ie. when mummy and daddy aren't paying for it!

This is a teenage right of passage. She will learn. We all had to.

I have a large & lovely tattoo. I also have a senior, mainstream 'stuffy' job. My colleagues would be amazed if they knew I had a tattoo, I am ultra conservative and professional at work. Outside work I can cut loose & be pretty wild, so my tattoo really suits me.

I just don't get the angst - unless it is ankle or wrist, it is easily covered. For the record, I thought a lot of the older tattooed ladies linked to up thread looked fantastic.

OP - stop worrying, it will be fine. I earn plenty cash (ie I own four horses, have a 4x4 & trailer, compete etc & my DH doesn't need to pay for any of it). I work hard & play hard. Support your DD, she sounds fab & needs your love, not your judgement.

"She took me to a reputable place"

No she didn't. She took you somewhere that would tattoo a 15 year old - that is not reputable. I'm not denying it happened or saying you yourself were wrong to go or that your mum was wrong to take you - just that it is illegal to tattoo anyone under 18 and tattooists that do so give the whole industry a bad name.

I'm not judging her ithaka. I just don't want her to do something she might regret. I also understand that she's an adult and can make her own choices. If me trying to warn her of any possible pitfalls or adverse consequences to her actions makes me an interfering and controlling parent, then fair enough, I am.

My first car was a VW Scirocco - insurance for that was £1k per year, TPFT only. There's never more money than you think there is, always less.

I don't see what's so hard to understand about tattoos and people's views of them. Some like them, some don't. Those that do won't care, those that don't might if the tattoo is visible. They might hold a prejudice that affects employment. Why put obstacles in your own way and limit your choices?

I don't like them, would never have one. I'd do as OP is doing and do all I could to make sure that my child realises the permanence of these things and the fact that people will make assumptions, will judge and there's nothing anybody can do to stop them from doing that. Other than that, my job is done.