Kids/ Tattoos - What Age is Acceptable
 

The fifteen year old girl I work with on Saturdays has just had a tattoo, fully sanctioned by her mother.

My problems with my co-worker's tattoo are as follows:
- It's illegal. She is 15 and the minimum age in the UK is 18. Her mother let her have it as she has wanted one "like, forever"

- It's a fairy. Cute on a teenager, but very much of the moment. She chose it from a book on the day she went in.

- It's on the back of her neck. So she believes she will always be able to hide it. Of course this counts on her always having longer than collar-length hair.

For the record I have a tattoo myself – I have nothing against them per se. But I made my decision slowly and carefully and from our conversation I conclude that she hasn't.

Am I right in thinking she might regret it and deserved better guidance from her mother, or am I just over-cautious and perhaps getting a bit old? Obviously she's had it now and it's not my place to approve or disapprove. It was my reaction to it that surprised me and I wonder if it's a slippery slope down into being an old woman who thinks the world is going to hell in a handbasket and saying the kids these days don't know they're born.

Fifteen, bad, unless the tat has some kind of family significance and was discussed by the whole family IMO.
How is a few years going to change things if this is something that they want permanently?
Neck, very bad. Can have work issues.
Biggest issue, that you were not consulted... I would have freaked... but that is just me.

I think 15 is pretty young, but then again, I think getting a tattoo at 15 is alot better than these girls at 16 getting their boobs done...sorry, touchy subject here at the moment.

As to whether she will regret it, well, the technology to get rid of them now is pretty good....its only going to get better, so if she does regret it, she will be able to do something about it pretty easily and effectively.

I had my first tattoo done when I was 18 and my second at 22, I would like one more along my lower back...but I'm not in a great hurry until I figure out exactly what I want.

When my Mother freaked out at my tattoo, I tried to explain that it was great value for money..not much else I could buy that would last for the rest of my life :)

I don't think any age is acceptable, but that's just me.

I would think, though, that one should be of legal age to enter into a business contract, which in most places is 18. Shouldn't happen before that even with parental consent. I know from experience that there are a lot of stupid children with dumber parents out there.

It's just skin, it's temporary.

So, what kind of tattoos were they. Or you could just post a picture.

Can do when I am home and take a picture of my boob and my back I guess :p

I have a wizard on my back and a marvin martian on my boob

Lucky alien...

I'm 21 now. I've been thinking about getting a tatto for about three or four years. By now, I know I want one and am fairly certain that I want it on my upper arm. The only thing I''m not completely sure of yet is what exactly. It's probably gonna be a pentacle but I don't know yet how big, and what decoration I want around the circle.

I think 15 is too young, the age limits are there for a reason. I hate it how parents go about breaking age laws/letting their kids break age laws like this one when it suits them yet complain about other age laws being broken (like underage drinking or whatnot).

Where do you work right now? Do you intend to still be working that job when you're 40? Do you like wearing tank tops?

I like wearing tank tops. I study archaeology so presumably will continue working in that field. Which is quite a loose field to work in, no real bothering with things like tattoos.

It wouldn't be a huge one anyway, no more than a centimeter or 5 in diameter.

I think that one of the most misunderstood things about tattoos is that only in the simplest of senses are they are a permanent image on your body. More accurately, they are a permanent testament to a particular time, place, & mindset. Sundae's coworker will not grow up, look at her tattoo & think "oh, a faerie." She'll think of the little girl who got a tattoo of a faerie, & of the things that girl was thinking & doing at that point in her life. Done well, the tattoo tells a story of a good time or of a changing time, of something significant: not of a stupid time or a naive, youthful time. Time in the army, time in another country, time in another place.

In this sense, tattoos are more a collection of snapshots, or of postcards to yourself.

Excellent point Skunks, very true.
You also have to decide about whether you care what other people will assume about you from your choice of designs. ;)

Hmmm - I am sitting here pondering wtf Marvin says about me at 18 ?

[quote=Skunks]Sundae's coworker will not grow up, look at her tattoo & think "oh, a faerie." She'll think of the little girl who got a tattoo of a faerie, & of the things that girl was thinking & doing at that point in her life.[quote]

This helped me see things in a different way. I assumed that because my tastes & opinions changed dramatically from 15-25 that hers will as well. I felt she would be as embarrassed at permanent evidence of her tastes as I was embarrassed by my old diary. It may simply act as a postcard to her future self and I hope it does. But as Bruce says - will it still be the image she wants to project in future? It's a personal message to display after all.

Am glad that it's not just me that sees 15 as too young. Thanks to everyone for your opinions!

Tse Moana - wait another year with the image of the tattoo held in your mind. After all you'll have it for life (barring surgery). If you still want it after a year than go for it! This was the advice I was given, followed and made me confident I was right in my choice.