Do you remember the days when it was the ‘wild’ people who had tattoos? Or when people associated tattoos with criminals?
My how times have changed!!!!!
These days, tattoos are everywhere!!! On the young and the old and all ages in between!
‘Wild’ people still have tattoos. So do criminals. And so do meek, calm people. And law-abiding citizens.
My pharmacist? Full-sleeve tattoo. The middle-aged cashier whose till I went through in Superstore last week …. she has a butterfly tattoo on her inner wrist. My colleague has a great tattoo on her thigh and another on her back. A very good friend of mine has tattoos on her ankles, shoulder, and back. My husband has one on his forearm and on his upper arm.
I was never a tattoo person. I got my first and only tattoo 10 years ago. It is a sound wave tattoo. I love, love, love this tattoo. When I open the app and put my phone up to my arm, I hear my kids telling me how much they love me. My kids were 7 and 10 when I got this tattoo. I love hearing their ‘little kid’ voices.
My 17-year old son has 2 tattoos – one on his forearm and another on the side of his forearm … he got them right after Christmas. My 20-year old daughter has a ton of tattoos! She got her first one at aged 17.
Is 17 too young????? Obviously, I don’t think so …. considering that both of my children got their first tattoos at 17 years of age. Many that I have spoken with say that 17 is too young …. but 18 is okay, from a legal standpoint. (In Alberta, you are a legal adult at age 18).
I think that we have all seen tattoos that are awful. Some are super distasteful, some are very poorly done, and some are incredibly offensive.
I think the problem with getting tattoos when you’re young is that you are bound to change as you mature and get older. What may seem incredibly cool at aged 16 or 17, will likely be less cool when you are an adult.
When tattoos have meaning, they are beautiful and are not something that one is likely to regret later in life. Often times, tattoos are symbolic or represent a moment in time, or a favorite, or a goal, or an achievement. These are keepers … which is a good thing considering that the type of tattoos I am referring to are the permanent ones!
It was not a rush decision for me to consent to my kids getting tattoos while under-aged. Both began talking about tattoos when they turned 16. I always said to them, “When you’re 18 – a legal adult – go ahead. Until then, you’re a minor and I say no.”
But, both kids – when they were 17 – shared with me what their first tattoo would be.
Christmas of 2021 (when my daughter was 17, turning 18 in February), I gave her a gift certificate for a tattoo. Christmas of 2023 (when my son was 17, turning 18 in September), I gave him a tattoo gift certificate.
Would I have allowed them to get tattoos if their choices weren’t symbolic? No way.
My daughter’s first tattoo – which sits on her collarbone – is 4 hearts. She had me, her Step-Dad, her brother, and her Grandma each draw a heart. She then put them together and had these tattooed on her collarbone – as she says, “Close to my heart.” Once she turned 18, she went to town with tattoos. She has a few lines from songs as tattoos; words that truly speak to her soul. She also has a paw print of our amazing dog Joe. We lost him in 2021 and it absolutely crushed us. My daughter has Joe’s paw-print on her thigh.
My son got his tattoos a few months ago. Pictures below. Every night when our family goes to bed, we all say, “Night, love, am” to each other. (Short for good-night, I love you, see you in the morning). That, my friends has meaning and symbolism! His second tattoo (when you pay by the hour, you make use of that hour!) is 777. A2 many know, three 7’s symbolizes good luck. Our house number is 777, our home telephone number ends in 777, and our cell phone numbers also contain three 7s in them. So, is 777 meaningful? Yes.
Shout-out to MidKnight Ink Tattoo
Should we allow under-aged youth to get tattoos? If as parents, we are sure that our children will not regret their tattoos when they become adults, why not???
For the judgers out there who feel that 17 is too young ….
I encourage you to head over to my Teens page for more articles on raising teens.
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