Kids/ Tattoos - What Age is Acceptable

[Trilby]

i think 15 is too young.

I have two tatts--one on my right shoulder blade and one on my left leg. I regret both, esp. the one on my leg.

[Pangloss62]

Call me old fashioned, but I think tattoos should be reserved for sailors and bikers, those kinds of people. An anchor for the sailor, "Mom" for the biker, that kind of thing. This current craze involves many women, most of whom think that the tattoo makes them "hot" or "alternative." I think they're embarrassing, but that's just me. The ones on the small of the back are the worst.

I was born with a big birthmark on my neck, so I came with my own tattoo. It's not in the shape of anything, more like a DeKooning or Pollock painting.

That is a very out-dated way of looking at body art.

[Pangloss62]

I'm outdated in many ways.

Anthropologically speaking, todays tattooing craze certainly deserves some analysis. It's very different than tribal cultures' tattooing, but also similar in some ways. All the black girls here in the ATL get tats, but they are so different than those the white girls get.

Whatev.

[Tse Moana]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

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.

I was planning to do that . Right now, the final image of what I want is not quite ready yet but when I do have the final image, I'll draw it and have it above my desk for a long time to see if I still like it after a while before taking the step of having it tattooed.

[Stormieweather]

I, personally, have two: one on my shoulderblade and one high on my thigh, near my hipbone. I didn't get either until I was in my late 30's as I wanted to be sure I wouldn't regret my choice of design. Also, as an accountant, tattoo's aren't really considered acceptable conservative decoration . I love them both and plan to expand on the thigh one (it is a butterfly). Neither one can be seen unless I am wearing a swimsuit or naked (which I'm pretty sure won't happen at work). For me, these were symbols of freedom from an abusive marriage - the first I got as I was working on my escape plan and the second after I made it out (alive).

My former stepdaughter began begging for a tattoo and piercings at about age 13. Her dad and I said NO, NO and NO!!! Finally, at age 15, we told her she could get piercings done as long as they were not visible on her face. She got her tongue and belly button done at age 16. We insisted that she not get any tattoos until she was of legal age as she was too young to know what she would want to live with for the rest of her life. She just turned 24 and finally got her first tattoo (yeah Pangloss61, across the small of her back).


Nothing permanent (or visible) until they are of legal age, is my opinion.

Stormie

[Pie]

I got my ears pierced at 13. Does that count?

[Pangloss62]

My former stepdaughter began begging for a tattoo and piercings at about age 13. Her dad and I said NO, NO and NO!!! Finally, at age 15, we told her she could get piercings done as long as they were not visible on her face. She got her tongue and belly button done at age 16.

I don't know, stormi, it all reminds me of that book about "raunch culture," or that movie Thirteen. Why would a 13-year-old girl want a tongue stud? The answer to that question is probably more upsetting to me than the stud itself. I think a lot of women (and men) have forgotten how so many folks worked so hard to fight the objectification of women, the idea of women as "toys," and now it's all about that, and women are choosing it themselves. "That's the point" some say, that it's about freedom to do what you want, but that has consequences for our culture as a whole. I don't like the result, but I guess that's my problem, not your's or your daughter's. I see all these young girls and, yes, older women too, getting tattoos and piercings, reading any number of those useless "womens'" magazines, Desperate Housewives and a ceaseless obsession with sex. Sex sex sex. Viagra, and now a new liquid for women for better sex (saw it last night). It's so hedonistic and narcissistic. I know I'm sounding really conservative right now (I'm actually fairly liberal), but why can't we all be more cerebral, more intellectual. Are tattoos and piercings just about sex? Not always, but I think that the implication is there, and often it's explicit. way.

[Stormieweather]

But what's wrong with sex? As long as it isn't promiscuous or indescriminate and there are other interests and intellectual pursuits, that is. I'm certainly not young but I see nothing wrong with having a healthy sex life and celebrating my body (such as it is, sags and all).

I've always been fairly easy going with allowing my kids to find their own forms of expression and style, even when I thought it was horrendous or obnoxious. The less I fuss over it, the less likely they are to use such things as a form of rebellion. In middle school, she went through a sort of goth stage. She wore the largest, baggiest pants she could find (size 40's wrapped around her size 0 waist and dragging on the ground), mens work shirts, spiked dog collars and stiff-as-a-board hair. It was nasty, ugly and gross. I tolerated it. And sure enough, she grew out of it and began dressing like a young lady again when she started high school.

Why did she want her tongue pierced? Because most of her friends had theirs done, of course. I decided (yes me, her father refuses to be involved in parenting) that a piercing like that could be removed and the hole would heal up, if she ever decides to get rid of it as opposed to a tattoo or face piercing which would leave permanent disfigurement.

The good news is they've turned out great so far. No criminals, junkies, alcoholics, or gangsters. She and my 18 yr old are respectful, helpful, and well mannered. They've developed a more mainstream style as they've matured which I think is common if their experimentations are gently guided instead of suppressed.

Now, my 10 yr old may be another story.

Stormie

[Pangloss62]

...that sounds reasonable now. I don't know why I'm so uptight about the tattoos and the piercings; I'm not uptight about sex. Wish I had more of it, actually. It's been about 6-months for me. My girlfriend lives in Brazil, so it's only about twice a year I get to see her. We've been "together" since 2001. Hard to fathom that we have not found another mate, because we agreed that if we did we would have to become "just friends" and we are both ok with that.

[Ibby]

My girlfriend's 12-year old neighbor gives blowjobs in the pool bathroom.

Let me repeat.

She is 12. She sucks cocks in public bathrooms.

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by Stormieweather

They've developed a more mainstream style as they've matured which I think is common if their experimentations are gently guided instead of suppressed.

But is mainstream all it's cracked up to be? What's so great about it?

[Stormieweather]

Maybe mainstream isn't the word I should have used as I am a bit of a non-conformist myself. I meant that as a child matures, they need to be able to enter the workforce and if their style is TOO 'out there', they will be excluded from some professions. I want my children to be able to become anything they want. Also, I believe that a person with a strong sense of self esteem and solid level of confidence doesn't need to look bizarre in order to attract attention. A lot of the more outlandish 'looks' I see are a visual 'fuck you' from kids who don't much like themselves (or their world). I think that once they become more grounded they tend to want to stick out less and if the symbols of their rebellion and confusion are permanent, they are in a bit of a pickle, aren't they?

Stormie

[Stormieweather]

Originally Posted by Ibram

She is 12. She sucks cocks in public bathrooms.

That is a child without parental supervision and who has probably been sexually molested at some point in her life.

It is very sad that a child was brought into the world and subjected to such a life. It is even sadder that someone would actually LET a 12 yr old suck them off.

Stormie

[Ibby]

No, no history of molestation.. shes just, to be honest, a slut. Simple as that.

And you know why? It's society's fault. Society fucked her.

I have nothing against sex, but I firmly believe it should mean something.