To not understand why parents hate their kids getting tattoos

[lailamaria]

Obviously this applies to adult children but it's something i've come across a lot and never really understood it, is it because parents feel some sort of ownership over their kids bodies or is it something different.

This isn't a brag or anything but my mum's never been bothered, she has 2 tattoos herself with extremely sentimental meaning (although i think people should get tattoos whether their sentimental or not) and for my sister's 18th she even paid for her to get one as her birthday present.

I understand not liking tattoos on yourself but demanding your adult children don't get them or even talk them out of getting them I think is rather rude when their paying for them themselves with their own money. My aunt used to ask my cousin to cover hers up just because she hated it (it was a flower on her back so it wasn't like the tattoo was offensive.)

I'm not trying to judge truly I personally just find it strange

When you have a child you spend so much time admiring this perfect human that you helped to make. There is no one more completely perfect to you than your own child. So I guess some people just don't want their children permanently damaging their lovely bodies with a large blurry picture of a dragon or something even when they are all grown up.

I agree. DS would never do it though, due to the pain factor. He's a wimp like me

I have one, got it at 18 and now am very ambivalent about it. Luckily it's on my back so I can't see it - mostly I forget it's there. I'm not tortured with regret, but I don't particularly like it either. If I could snap my fingers and it would be gone, I would.

I wouldn't want my dds to have tattoos because I am emotionally attached to their beautiful, perfect skin. That's not necessarily a reasonable objection, and as they are only three and eight, that feeling may change, but that's it for now. Every inch of them is perfect and wonderful and I don't want any of it changed.

I don't like them I don't think they enhance the look at all and certainly don't look smart.

Children haven't got any thankfully. It's not been an issue.

Do you really think people get a tattoo to look 'smart' though? Lmao.

Me neither. I also don't know anyone who was 'talked out of one', who thanked their parents for it either. Like you would give it a second thought

I personally dislike tattoos and my children know that !
The thing is that you can change your hairstyle,clothing and piercings but a tattoo is permanent.
If my children do get one I will not be enthusing but they are adults so it’s their choice.

I don't think many people would 'demand' their adult child didn't have a tattoo.

People aren't keen on their dc getting tattoos because they don't like them themselves and maybe also because they love their dc the way they are and therefore don't like the idea of them changing themselves irrevocably, in a way they might later regret. Framing these feelings as 'ownership of their child's body' is inaccurate and a ludicrous overreaction imo. You might just as well accuse parents who have any care, concern or opinions about what happens to their adult dc of claiming 'ownership of their lives'.

My dc aren't adults yet, but dd is not far off. I can very much imagine her getting a tattoo. I'm not a big fan and would never get one myself, but I don't loathe them. On balance I suppose I'd rather she didn't, but it will be her choice obviously.

I am the parent who will attempt to gently discourage my adult child out of doing anything they are statistically likely to regret in the future.

This includes tattoos.

There was some merit to them when they were a subculture thing (though piercings served the same purpose with better reversibility) but these days nothing says ‘I follow the herd’ more loudly and clearly, from the Sam Cam ‘discreet dolphin’ gap-year type to the gym-muscle, full-sleeve effort. And, good grief, do they date stylistically.

Mass tattooing in a time of widespread - how to put this delicately - high BMI seems like an aesthetic disaster in the making.

I’ll bribe my DC not to have tattoos, if it comes to it, but suspect they’ll be so passé by then that I’ll keep my money.

but suspect they’ll be so passé by then that I’ll keep my money

I think they’re already mainstream enough to dodge the ‘passé’ label tbh. They were massively popular then settled into normality. It’s culturally acceptable for anyone who likes them to have them.

Tattoo’s have appealed to people for millennia, I doubt they’re going anywhere and will always appeal to some.

Interesting, could you share the link to those statistics?

You all have some very strongly worded opinions about something that has literally no bearing on your life whatsoever.

And?

It’s normal that the human brain, presented with something, generates a thought response, which - since we have evolved language - will often be expressed in… words. Sometimes strong ones

Perhaps you could explain your vision for the cessation of opinion formation and expression? I’ll try to keep an open mind, I promise.

I don't like tattoos and can honestly say that I have never seen one with one that would change my mind.
My son had one done when he went travelling. I was disappointed- mainly because of the health aspect ( getting it done somewhere that probably wasn't regulated). He's only had it 3 years and already dislikes it. He won't be getting anymore ( his decision).

As Ozzy Osborne advised his children
' If you want to be different, don't get a fucking tattoo!'

I’ll bribe my DC not to have tattoos, if it comes to it, but suspect they’ll be so passé by then that I’ll keep my money

God, that's weird.

I find the extreme dislike for them on this thread very strange and not representative of real life.

Im heavily tattooed. Full sleeve, hands, fingers, multiple over my other arm and legs… most of my friends and people I know are also heavily tattooed! In fact the only person I know around my age who isn’t is dh! He likes to spend his money on other questionable things… such as collecting Godzilla memorabilia. Now that I find a waste of money 😂

I find the extreme dislike for them on this thread very strange and not representative of real life.

Im heavily tattooed. Full sleeve, hands, fingers, multiple over my other arm and legs… most of my friends and people I know are also heavily tattooed!

I don't really know what my friends and acquaintances think of tattoos, as it hasn't come up. But as far as I know, not one of my extended family, or dh's, or any of our friends has any tattoos. I mean... I guess it's not unlikely that one or two have ones which don't show, but not that I'm aware of.

Im heavily tattooed. Full sleeve, hands, fingers, multiple over my other arm and legs… most of my friends and people I know are also heavily tattooed!

As I said in my previous post, I would love to get a tattoo but know I'll regret it. I actually really love tattoos and piercings as a body art and actually the main issue for me that I think if you're gonna get tattoos, you should go all in like @Fedupofthis123 .

I just think it's pointless getting a random flower on your back or some irrelevant tribal pattern or dragon on your upper arm. That isn't really body art in my view.

That wouldn't stop me trying to prevent my child from getting tattooed all over but that is simply because it could create obstacles in their future careers.

My living room looks very different than it did 25 years ago.
My music collection has changed.
My taste in art has changed
My clothes have changed.
My hair has changed.

Why would I want something permanent on my skin that will only look worse the older I get?

If people are happy with their tattoos, great! Good for them. I’d prefer my adult children didn’t do something so permanent but that’s their choice.

I wouldn't have one personally, it would be like buying an item of clothing in the 70s and having to then wear it for the rest of your life.

I would prefer my sons didn't get them but it's their bodies not mine and I certainly wouldn't love them any less if they did.

That said, culturally significant tattoos like those in Māori culture look bloody great.

Fear they'll regret it?

I do have an older family member who got one at 19 and has spent most of his adult life now late 70s hiding the thing - won't wear short sleeved tops ever - even pj have sleeves.

I think there're more main stream now - and frankly past 18 they are adults and what they do it up to them so would never comment negatively - though on school run I have seen some truly awful ones.

My daughter has a “sleeve “ and I hate it. In my opinion it looks tatty.

Well, there's tattoos and there's tattoos.

I wouldn't be bothered about a discreet tattoo, whether I liked the style or not. I wouldn't be bothered about a larger, well rendered tattoo. I wouldn't be so pleased if my kids had something badly done, very 'of the moment' and I have told teen, who is keen to get one when old enough that they should never tattoo a band name or logobuntil they're 30 - if you still like 'em when you're 30 you'll always like them, but you don't want to be stuck with one that embarrasses you!