What's ironic about this is that, totally in the dark about those conversations, I recently bought M these:
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| WhitneyJane Temporary Tattoos |
C'mon, who doesn't love woodland creatures??
Note to my parents: You've somehow managed to make M more determined to get a tattoo than ever she was before. Let's call these, in your language, "damage control".
Note to M: Wait till you're 25 and you have your tastes figured out. Tattoos aren't for the young and capricious. And then consider a woodland creature.
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I love this! I can vouch for the wait until you're older bit. My dad took me to a tattoo shop when I turned 18. It ended up being sketchy and I didn't get my first tattoo until I was 22. I can't remember what I was going to get at 18, but I'm pretty sure it was stupid. :) Those woodland creatures are great!
ReplyDeleteOooh, Andrea. Your dad is a badass! :-)
DeleteI agree with you and I have loads of tattoos. My first one, however, was when I as 23. I remember the kind of stuff I wanted to get tattooed when I was 15 and can only say...thank you Mom, lololol.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm saying! If you love your tattoos, that's fantastic. But the 15 yr old you was likely not going to make the "good" permanent choices that the twenty-something you did.
DeleteI've puzzled over the impulse to get tattoos. Not even the simplest person's character, heart, and mind could be captured in a skinful of tattoos. Just as we read different books, watch different shows, and eat different foods, no collection of tattoos could sum up an entire man or woman. Why even try?
ReplyDeletePlus, skin is so beautiful. Looking at photos of burn victims always renews my appreciation of my skin in its natural state.
However, the great thing about being an adult is you can do what you want with yourself. You can read only the same books over and over again, watch only shows you've seen before, and eat only the same five foods.
And I have to admit the world would be boring indeed if everybody did only what I thought best. Don't tell my boyfriend I said that, though! :p
I totally hear this argument and I don't have any tattoos. Mind you, sometimes I see someone with a lot of tattoos that are just gorgeous and then I can understand the allure. Not enough to commit, obviously. I'm still concerned about being 80 :-)
DeleteThose woodland creatures are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe ladies in the comments above are definitely smarter than me. I got a tattoo when I was 16 (and I think I am still grounded/in trouble). Luckily, it's neither terrible nor visible to others... but it wasn't a very good idea. I actually wish the tattoo shop had been a little less lenient about checking ID!!
I'm sure the grown-ups have forgiven you :-)
DeleteAsk her this; What if you change your mind? I couldn't commit to a handbag, a pair of shoes, even a hairdo for more than a few months. So to have permanent art on my skin? meh. xx
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year xx
I know! I still can't :-)
DeleteAnd put it someplace that clothes will cover up.
ReplyDeleteI know that's your motto! Nice to see you...xo
DeleteThis made me laugh! If I had been told that at her age I would have been determined to get some as well!
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of coverage (70 hours and counting) but didn't start until I was in my 20's as well. I've only now got visible tattoos showing (my arm sleeve) but can still cover it all up for work which is pretty necessary for an office job.
The older you are the better I think, you have more money so you tend not to get that little bit of flash because that's all you can afford and you can plan it out a lot better and get a custom drawn tattoo by a great artist.
I know! Older is smarter when it comes to body modification - well, when it comes to everything (I suspect). The more you know yourself, the better the artistic choices you'll make.
DeleteI'll admit to being a parent who was appalled at the idea of my baby's skin being tattooed, even if said baby was old enough to dictate what her skin could do . . . I do think I was justified in that primary contender in our family is the one with the most sensitive skin, reacting to oranges, parmesan cheese, hot showers, sun, etc. . . . Still, I know enough to bite my tongue and smile now that the tattoo-ee is of age, and then some.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found toughest is the daughter who got a stainless steel piercing on her not-that-fleshy forearm. And that daughter doesn't brook much comment and I know shutting up is wise. But knowing that inflammation is a response to foreign objects and that inflammation and cancer have an established relationship. . . well, my uptight, bourgeois, bitch self rears her ugly head, yes mama! And I start imagining scenarios when a CATscan is needed for an emergency but the metal can't be removed without surgery and . . . . oh yeah, rationality is not my middle name. Your daughter should know there are all kinds of responses and that yours is très, tr&eagrave; cool, relatively speaking. ;-)
(please read all this knowing that my (unpierced) tongue is (sort of) in my cheek)
It's so different thinking of a tattoo as a mother vs as a "getter". Honestly, the idea of the pain is enough to derail the idea for me, right off the bat! Piercings fall into that same category. I have so many friends with piercings and all I can see (personally) when I look at them is the pain that must have accompanied them. Some friends have had infections from piercings - so the pain persists.
DeleteI can understand your anxiety loop - really I can! - but I'm sure your daughter will be just fine :-) I try to convince my daughter of my essential coolness, alas, it doesn't seem to work.
I have a long way to go before I get a tattoo, like maybe getting my ears pierced.
ReplyDeleteI'm with some of the other commenters. I've never seen art that I felt a lifelong attachment to. I am interested in other peoples tattoos because it clearly represents something important to them and I want to understand that.
A friend of mine is a social worker and primarily works with teens. She let a group of them go crazy with henna tattoos so they could see what it was like to live with ink for a while.
Ha! Well, if the ears aren't done, it's a lost cause for you :-) I think your friend's idea is great. I love the idea of temporary body work.
DeleteHappy New Year! I've nominated you for the One Lovely Blog/Very Versatile Blogger. The rules are in my last post...
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you so much! I will read up on the post - and happy new year to you too. xo
DeleteBetter find out if they've indoctrinated her in anything else! ;-)
ReplyDelete