"It is going to be on your body for the rest of your life and in 20 years you'll probably hate it and imagine how wrinkley it will be when you're old and do you know how much it's going to cost to remove it!!!???" Does this sound familiar to anyone? Well those of you wanting/having a tattoo while living under your parents roof or still being supported by your parents financially, you might be pretty accustomed to hearing this.
I hate to admit it, but I have "cool" parents. In the state of North Carolina, even if you have a guardian's permission, you are not allowed to get a tattoo until you are 18. But I wanted a tattoo for as long as I can remember so for my 17th birthday, my mom took me to Virginia to get tatted for the first time!
It was so awesome and I've gotten a lot more since that birthday. Both of my parents have many tattoos so I've never had any "tattoos are permanent" speeches from them. But I have heard them being given to my friends and such...and here's what I have to say about it:
Tattoos aren't permanent! Yes, you read that correctly. Although painful and expensive, tattoos can be removed. And what I really mean by this is that your daughter getting a phrase that means a lot to her tattooed on her rib cage is not the worst thing she can do. Because you know something that actually is permanent? A college degree.
How is it fair that you're against the permanence of tattoos at the age of 18 but you want young people fresh out of high school to decide what they want their career to be? At 17 or 18 years old we were expected to graduate high school, pick a college, decide on a major, and essentially make one of the biggest decisions a person makes-what am I going to do for the rest of my life? How are we expected to this with no problem, but we are not mature enough to make the choice to permanently ink our bodies?
All I'm saying is a college degree is 4+ years of work and way more expensive than an $80 tattoo...maybe try this side of the argument next time mom or dad pulls out the "permanent" lecture!