Your child comes home with a terrible tattoo; what's your first reaction? Jack
Her -
I really don’t have anything against tattoos and when they're done well, enjoy seeing people display a love, belief, or tribute to something that means a great deal to them. I would not rule out getting one myself. Once I tried to convince dad once to get a matching one with me. He wasn’t too excited about the idea but I haven’t totally given up on the idea. I have a hunch that he will come home one day and have gotten one without me…I feel like he might be secretly planning this.
If I'm being honest, my gut reaction to seeing a tattoo on you would be a little sad. You came into this world literally perfect, and the thought of a mark permanently on your person for the rest of your life is a little unsettling. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people quickly judge on outside appearances, and if a “terrible” tattoo cost you the benefit of the doubt, a job interview, or a chance you deserved, I would feel awful. I wish we could all express ourselves without judgement (at least in most cases), but we're not there….yet.
On the other hand, I would also feel a glimmer of happiness and pride. Whatever the tattoo is, you love it. You believe in it so strongly that you decided to let the world know it is actually a part of you. And if that’s the case, then I would be proud of you for letting your flag fly freely. We try to raise you to speak your mind, stand up for your beliefs and influence peers in a positive way. That’s your right and it's your body. Go for it.
But most of all, getting a tattoo would PERMANENTLY remind you that some decisions have lasting effects. They stay with you and can remind you of a mistake…or a moment of clarity, brilliance, loyalty, and love. You're stuck with good and bad decisions and will learn from both. Somedays that's a really good thing, others, not so much. It's all a part of your story, part of who you are….just like a tattoo.
Him -
Bad tattoos deserve a measuring stick, a Scoville scale of their own. I’m going to call it the Gallemore Regrettable Tattoo Spectrum ™ and we’ll measure in GRTS units, 1-1000. At the low end, say 100 GRTS, you’d have something like greek letters (particularly on the ankle) and at the other, 1000 GRTS, the insignia of some backward hate group. In between you’d find things like names of exes, cartoon characters, almost anything on fingers, gang signs, prison tats and “No Regerts”…not even one little letter.
A parent's reaction probably depends on where on this scale the tattoo falls and, I suppose, their personal history with cartoons, gangs, prison and hate groups.
For me, anything in the greek letters/cartoon character neighborhood probably just gets a smile and a “wow”. As GRTS ™ units climb, my reaction follows a predictable “huh?”, “ouch.”, “holy shit!”, “WTF!!!” trajectory.
BTW, I’m a fan of tattoos. I don’t have one, but wish did. Maybe I will someday.
