As I wait patiently for my daughter to arrive so we may buy her pants for her second day of work, she announces that she has a surprise. From years in training and understanding my teenager, my motherly instincts kicked in. My eyes begin to trace every fiber of flesh on her, with my pulse beating faster and faster. I began to worry what could this mean? Has something gone terribly wrong and is this the other shoe that is about to drop?
With her banana grin her eyes are targeting towards her left thigh. With alarms piercing in my brain and horns blowing, I hold my breath for a moment as I witness the very flesh I created trimmed with a long stem rose on her inner thigh. This rose is not just one color but multi-colored, with many leaves hanging on a very, very long stem.
When I proceed to ask her why she would put such a visible marking on her body, she replies, “Its a rose mom. Roses are beautiful and I liked it.” At this point she also reveals that one of her friends had paid for it, like that would make it ok! I am calmly biting my lip and trying to lower the alarms still ringing in my ears, and I ask her if she gave any thought to potential infections or how marking your body can be a mistake as she ages when without any thought, I slipped and asked her which look she was reaching for, motorcycle mama or pirate.
I would love to give advice on how to discourage a teenager from getting a tattoo but, unfortunately I do not have  any brilliant advice on this matter. What I have done is talk to her about how important appearances can be as you look for a solid job or career, and how others might be quick to judge. I also mentioned that if one day she decides to marry, tattoos would stick out alongside her white wedding dress. I asked her how she would explain her tattoo to her own children someday. My daughter told me that she actually heard a rumor that she could no longer rest in peace in a Jewish cemetary for having a tattoo, and asked me if it was true. I tell her that my mother told me the same rumor when I was a MEANAGER, and she said it did not prevent her from going forward with her ink. All of the things mentioned are ways to discourage a teenager from getting a tattoo. Think before you ink!
Tags: Add new tag, discourage teen tattoos, how to discourage a teenager from getting a tatoo, How to prevent a teenager from getting a tattoo, Teen Decides to Get a Tattoo, teenager decides to get a tatoo
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Great post! I will definitely think twice about getting a tattoo.
I am 46 years old and still regret marking my arm when I was a young teenager. Now my tatoo was a homemade one which was very stupid of me to do, but when you’re a teenager something says “I don’t care”. My tattoo was suppose to be a heart. There is not enough ink in it so it looks just like a heart shaped scar. I have had alot of people comment on it and it totally embarrasses me! I wish I would have never done that! Now I can imagine if it was really a noticeable tattoo! I wouldn’t ever wear sleeveless shirts. When you’re young and God forbid a troubled teen like I was, you just don’t care. Especially if your friends are all doing it, you want to fit in. So you make that hasty decision to mark your body. For some one is not enough. Let me tell you, you will regret it one day. One day you will realize that tatoo that was once so cool to have, is in no way cool at all. Infact it is a total embarrassment. Trust me. If you are thinking about getting one, please think twice. Think, Do I want my children to see this and think it is ok for them to do also? What would an employer think or say? Would a nice, respectable man really want his bride to be all marked up? All I can say is from experience mine (which is not even a really noticeable tattoo) is a total regret and I would give anything to take it away but can’t.
When my child asked about tattoos, I told him that the law says he can’t have one until he is 18. He said I could give consent before that, but I would refues to do that. I told him it is his body and his choice when he is 18, but I gave him a visual of an older, more sagging body and how the tattoo would look then. I also told him that there must be a reason there are so many tattoo removal products and procedures coming out recently. He thought about it, and I don’t think he will get a tattoo. I think if you strictly forbid a teen from doing anything, they will do it, just out of spite or rebellion to prove they are in control.