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How young is too young for a tattoo?

My son wants a tattoo for his 18th birthday in July.

I'm not against tattoos, as I have a couple.

I asked him, "What do you want a tattoo of?"

He says, "I want a tattoo of your name on my chest above my heart or my inner arm closest to my heart."

I asked, "Why my name?"

He says, "Because I love you so much, Mom."

He's going to his father's for Xmas break. I'm going to leave that up to his father. He got the idea of a tattoo from his dad.

What is your opinion? I'm not sure.

SleeplessInTexas 8 Dec 2
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45 comments (26 - 45)

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2

My daughters got tattoos a hot second after turning 18. Their bodies, their choice. The twins now have quite a few and no regrets at age 26. I got my first at 40, then others at 50 and 57. The last one was fun because my girls and I got tattoos by the same artist on the same day.

UUNJ Level 8 Dec 2, 2018
2

Tell him to do some research on the tattoo places and see if they will draw something up and put it on him the to see if he likes the location and design. Then sleep on it before he gets it done. Or try henna. I did that and was happy with the design and location before I commit to the real thing.

2

Did his dad also give him the idea that your name should be on his body?

Nooo....!

2

Never had one and don't ever want one. My daughters love them.

1

Once they are legally adult, the choice would be up to them.

1

If he can pay for it at 18, he's old enough to live with any regrets he may have.

1

No tattoos at any age. I think tattoos look tacky and low class.

"On elderly patients, tattoos look like a bad bruise," a nurse said. "They look terrible."

I am not surprised...

1

At 18, he's an adult in the eyes of the law. I'm not a tattoo guy. My two millennials have independently decided neither are they. If either wanted one at 18,wouldn't have bothered me. I think it's sweet he wants to put your name under his skin.

1

18 is fine. I got my kid one for graduating high school with a 4.3 gpa. I know a member from lamb of god and I asked him who was the best “ Artist “ in Richmond and he gave me her name and texted her for me.

She actually interviewed my child and critiqued the art that my kid had come up with and one week $1300 later my kid had an official Amy Black tat.
And now my kid has two more one for graduating VaTech and the third for the first job promotion.

But that’s just me I’ve got a few myself and the best advice that I can give is too actually spend that money and go to an actual artist who can free hand and not some stencil using ink slinger.
The work will be 1,000 times better and your kid will have some bragging points amongst tattoo geeks.

1

I would say 16 to 18 should be the youngest to get a tat. I didn't get my first one until I was 30. I would have a waiting period and talk to them about it though. A nice long waiting period of maybe a few months to discuss it with them and see if it's really something they want and to hear their thought process. Keep coming back to the issue every week or every month. See if I can talk them out of it in a more subtle way. Do they know what it represents, do they know it's going to be on their body until they die, etc etc etc. Get them to think about getting something with more meaning. If I can talk them out of it then they most likely didn't really want it. Sometimes people just want something that looks good and there is no meaning, and there is nothing wrong with that at all to me, but I think people are more likely to not regret a tat if it has deeper meaning.

1

17 3/4's

1

It's a variable, They need to understand that a tattoo for the most part, is forever.

1

For me it was 18.

1

I think it completely depends. My niece got one at 18 and she isn’t exactly known for making good decisions. However she got a pink ribbon to commemorate her grandma who was battling cancer at the time. I don’t feel she’ll ever regret that one.

My youngest turned 18 in August and has also expressed interest in getting one. She too does not always make great decisions. However I have several and am not against them. She want to get sister tattoos with my other daughter. Again, not something I think either will regret and they both want them in places that they can easily cover.

I guess for me it comes down to what and where so there aren’t regrets later. That and making sure they go somewhere reputable.

1

He's an adult he can do what he wants .... I lied and got one at 16 . As long as he has thought about what he's havng and not jsut turning up and having any old thing then he's done more than a lor of people ( ps i thought of my first one for 4 years before i had it )

0

If he can pay... He can play.

0

18 is already the age of majority, so it's no longer your call at that point.

Count your blessings. My adult daughter tatooed a giant moth all over her back. Didn't spend the money to do a quality job either. Would have not been so bad if she had put my name on there because she loved me.

0
0

My thoughts are if they can afford it on their own then let them get one. As a b-day present though I would shy away from that. Especially if the father doesn't have a good relationship with you or the child. That being said though this is coming from someone who doesn't have or want tattoos, so take that for what it's worth.

0

I think it's awesome that he wants to get your name. It's sweet. If any girl gets the wrong idea, she's an idiot and should move along for being judgmental without getting the story first. I have some tattoos that might not have been a great idea but they're part of me and my story so I won't say that I regret them. I think that as long as he's open to your guidance, just give him the basics that have been mentioned here and I think it will turn out ok. I also like the idea of getting some kind of artwork that symbolizes you as opposed to your name 🙂 Good luck!

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