DS Tattoo ...

[Cutecat78]

I don't know if AIBU.

DS is 18 and going through a really gothic stage. The latest of many stages he has naturally gone through in his teens.

He's working on minimum wage, not sure what he wants to do career wise. He pays about £40 a week here (this is NRR).

He's skint and told me tonight he's "dropping in" his tattoo design to the tattoo place tomorrow.

It's huge and covers the whole of his upper arm and is really relevant to what he is in to right now at 18 yrs old.

I have a tattoo on my back. I had it 11 yrs ago when I was 30 and it covers a horrible operation scar.

His dad is covered in tattoos (we are not together) and had several large ones when we got together in our early twenties which he now regrets.

AIBU to feel a bid sad and worried that DS (who is still as skinny as a rake) is potentially going to cover one of his arms in something he will later hate (I remember a lot of people getting Celtic bands in the mid 90s as teens which they may now regret).

I know there I cannot stop him but is there any advice or guidance I can give him?

I have a small tattoo on my foot where my toe used to be.

I had an injury to my foot that, after 4 surgeries and almost 2 years of trying to get it to heal, ended up with an amputation. After the amputation, the wound took another 5 months to heal. Once that was all behind me, I said "sod it" and got a funny tattoo on the top of my foot. Since I didn't have control over the circumstances leading up to it, it was a way of taking it back...

It is a little sign that says "gone home" (from the 'this little piggy' rhyme).

Even then... I was 42 when I got it, and it is my only one.

I definitely agree with others that a bit of a waiting/cooling off period would be wise.

Get him to print it out on temporary tattoo paper so he can live with it for a bit and see if he's comfortable with having it on his body. I wouldn't recommend a huge tattoo for your first. But ultimately, it's his decision. If he regrets it, then he does have a couple of options at least. (Cover up, laser).

I drew on myself for a month before I got my tattoo. 7 years on still love it.

My dd (12) is talking about her first tattoo. I was about it.

I have them but didn't have my first until I was about 24. One I regret but only because the tattoo artist (the husband of my friend) hid the fact that he was having chemo and it turned out rubbish because he was shaking. I don't regret the design and if it was good I would be happy.

My advice to her was to pick what she wanted and then wait at least a year. I advised her on placement and size. Reminding her that the bigger they are the harder they are to cover or remove. I am havi be my crap one covered. Luckily it's a small one.

If I had have gone mad and said absolutely not. She would have dug her heels in. So I gave her advice instead.

My cousin had a sleeve done at 18 and doesn't regret it 8 years later.

I would be concerned you son is getting a massive tattoo on the cheap if he is skint.

Bran she's 12! She can dig her heels in all she wants,she can't get it done by herself or have the money to do it.

Bran she's 12! She can dig her heels in all she wants,she can't get it done by herself or have the money to do it.

really? That never occurred to me!

Of course I know that. But she will run out on her 18th birthday and get a crap one, if we go mad.

Just like my brother got his tongue piercing. It's not something I need to worry about for 5.5 years, but I know how stubborn she is and will fixate if we kick off.

I really don't see the point in getting into an argument about it when it's years off and I know arguing will only make her more determined.

I put my foot down over stuff that's immediate or needs a foot putting down. But tell her 'not a chance' when by the time she is 18 I can't do anything. Far better to give her some sensible advice that I know she will take on board.

Oh and when I said I advised her to pick what she wanted and then wait a year. I told her to wait til she was 18 to pick.

Bran oh right..oops that makes more sense. I thought you meant at 13. Sorry

rebel I think it's partly my fault. After I replied I re read my post and guessed what you thought. No way is she getting one at 13. That's where my foot goes down.

Can you suggest he gets a smaller 1 that csn be incorporated into his design later on thats going to take hours to do if he gets a small first . Dd got her first at 20 she wanted 1 at 18 i said make sure its the 1 you really want and not some random design you will regret, but tbh you cant stop him . Dd has just had her second bigger tattoo done on her thigh it really hurt she said if your son isnt keen on needles a big tattoo on his arm might freak him out.

branofthemist how about encouraging your DD to explore sharpie tattoos?

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sharpie+tattoo

They are temporary but can last for a month or two. That is a long time to live with a particular design and will give her the opportunity to explore what she wants.

Impossible to comment unless I see the design.

Make sure its with an amazing artisit.

branofthemist how about encouraging your DD to explore sharpie tattoos?

they are great. I may do when she is older. As it stands it was a brief conversation that has gone and probably won't get mentioned again for years.

Tbh my advice to anyone at age getting a tattoo would be to pick and then wait, now I will add those to my advice.

Dd2 is at that age now i said to her pick and wait some kids in her year at school have some right dodgy ones going on I also wont pay towards any tattoos i said i wasnt going to pay money to anything that they might regret that was thr same for any peircings to the face that dd1 wanted