What if your kid(s) want to get a tattoo? How about body piercing?

Well, I guess the question is do you see anything wrong with tattoos or body piercings? If so, and your child wanted to get one, what would be your reaction?

If you don't see anything wrong with them, do you have any restrictions on what you'd let your child get or have done?

No and no. No way, no how, under my roof. When they're grown and on their own that's a whole other ball game but I still find them gross. Just my preferences!

When you say "body piercings", are you referring to the ears as well?

Personally, I'm not to keen on the idea of tattooes and piercings. Tattooes especially.

My wife's been entertaining the idea of getting one on her hip bone or something. That hit me like a tonne of bricks. It's just something I never expected.

I won't be piercing Rachel's ears until she's old enough to make her own decision. I'm sure that it's partly having to do with my SDA upbringing, but my wife agrees that putting a hole in your body is a decision that you should make on your own.

Well, since I have 2 tattoo's and want many more - I can't really say no.

Limit? Have to think on that one.

I don't mind ear piercings for girls but not until an age where she can take care them herself. I was 14 when I had mine done and I feel that was a good age and a good decision for me to make. For boys? I think there would be some guns a-blazing in this house if our son got his ears pierced :lol:

no, I'm not counting ear-piercings. Altho I agree that the girl...GIRL!!!!...should be old enough to want them herself AND to take care of them herself. Babies with earrings? I don't see it....

Tattoos? NOPE!! Until she's out on her own and supporting herself...

Wow, well I guess I'm the odd one here - I know - like that is new.

My daughter had her ears pierced at 8 months.

As I said, I love tattoo's. I have two & am hoping to get more.

As for my kids - well, legally you have to be 21 to get a tattoo (at least in IL) - so - if my kids are 21 then it is their choice. If they want to get one when they are younger - it ain't gunna happen.

It's 18 in FL for tattoos...but if Andie's still living with us, even tho she's "legal age" for a tattoo...no way.

Body piercings, I think it's 16, unless you bring your parent(s) with you to sign off....

I don't have problems w/ tats.

maybe it's just my innate fear of needles....and PAIN!!! :yikes:

If tattooes were easily removeable, that would be one thing.

My big fear is that 50 years from now, we're gonna have a bunch of senior-citizen women with saggy bumper-sticker tattooes on their lower backs and it's gonna look REALLY baaaadd.

Yeah, for example my sister got one on the small of her back thinking it would be safe from stretching during pregnancy. Then I showed her the belt of stretch marks I have going around my waiste and all the color drained out of her face :lol: I know not every women gets stretch marks there but she thought she would be so safe :lol:

Me either....check mine out.....

:rolf: AND :puke:

Exactly! I wonder if all these people who are getting the strange piercings and stretching out thier holes in their ears really think that they will be happy with it at 60 years old...

My mom had my ears peirced when i was four and I see no problem with that. My husband sees a big problem with the idea of our daughter piercing her hears. I am not sure he will ever let her hav it done..

I think the problem with getting tatoos when you're young is that they tend to be a regret later on.

Take me for instance, I got a stupid fairie tattoo on my shoulder when I was 23. STUPID. My husband has some evil looking demon on his shoulder. We both want to fix them someday. I think these regrets happen when someone gets a tattoo before they know who they are. So I would say, no tattoos while under my roof. And if I still think they're too young, or the subject matter is dumb, you know I'll have to say something.

Piercings? Well, I don't agree with baby piercings. And Sarah had to ask to get hers done. As far as body piercings? I guess they would have to be 18 before we would allow it. And even then, I'm sure we'll discourage it.

I'm not a big fan of tattoos. Parlors overseas would offer free drinks to sailors under the assumption that if you got drunk enough, you'd get one. Well, I drank plenty but never got drunk enough to get a tattoo.

No offense, GR, but that's just not my idea of art.

There was a guy on the USS Long Beach who had one of those chinese lions on his bicep. He doctored it every day with some lotion. I said, "Ya know, when you're 50 that lion will look like it's 100." He said that's what the lotion was for. He said it preserves the color.

Tattoos were declared taboo when we were overseas. AIDS, hepatitis, etc. Captain told us if anyone got a tattoo they would be restricted to the ship until we returned to San Diego, then they would be subject to court-martial for disobeying an order. One guy did it. He walked back on the ship, showed the master-at-arms his new tattoo, and said, "The Captain can't tell me what to do with my own body!" Well, he didn't see daylight until he went to court-martial when we returned to San Diego nearly six months later. Stoopid!

Then, there was the guy on the USS Nimitz that got a tattoo on his bicep. It bled for days. He walked around with a bag taped to his arm to catch all the blood. :puke: Man, it was nasty.

No, I don't thnk I'll go that route. My wife agrees with me on this one.

Piercings - Nichole is 6 and may get her ears pierced whenever she wants. I would not do something to a child that is un-do-able without her knowing exactly what it is. 'Course, at 6, she may not know that it's a life-long thing...

No offense taken! Look - having tattoo's and calling yourself a Christian - I'm used to people saying things. Usually, they are not nice things.

For me - tattoo's are a way to express myself. Both of my tattoo's (right arm=thorns/left arm=cross maid of nails w/ thorns around it) have a spiritual meaning. People have asked - "what's that about" - and I've had the chance to tell them.

More than that - it's me. If the wife would let me - I'd have a lot more. But she doesn't want a tattoo'd freak - and I respect that. But, there are a few more on my mind that I'd like to get. All of my tats I take plenty of time to think about what & why I want to get it. It's not some random thing.

Maybe I'll take some pics & post them.

Nah - in general, tattoos aren't un-Christian. They're just not my cup o' tea.

Whatever floats your boat!





Course, I might get that cow tattooed on my belly...

Or an elephant!

Tats.... - NOt til they're old enough and can pay for them themselves.... Misty I think agrees.

Misty and I both want to get a couple of tats each so we're not that freaked out by them... My parents and hers will freak if we get them but let them.

Piercings.... Again not until they are old enough and can affor them on their own. I'll Let brit Pierce her ears, I will have a long talk with Zach before I let him pierce his but I won't stop him, though Misty prolly would....

I have no problem with boys piercing their ears... almost did it a few times myself.. I used to wear a Celtic ear cuff, I need to get another one... mine died a tragic death....

Its illegal here in Oklahoma but not enforced. There's a tatoo parlor or wjatever you call em about a mile from where I live--Neon lights nd a big sign on the top of the building--the law is obviously not enforced..

If an 11 year old gets $80 for Christmas and decides he/she wants a tattoo, would that qualify to you as old enough to get one, since they can now afford it? B)

11 year old cannot walk into a parlor and legally get one on their own....

They have to be old enough to get it on their own I'm not signing off for them... They have to be able to make the choice and realize it is forever....

Illegal to get a tattoo at all?

What's the diff between a "fake" tattoo and the real deal...well, obviously without the needle. :P But letting your child wear a pretend tattoo and saying it's a tattoo....yanno? Sends the same message, IMO.

As for piercing, my daughter and I were looking at earrings today and she was picking out the ones she likes. Dat one's pretty! Dat one's beautiful!

I forgot about that. Yeah, we forbid those as well. 'Course, last night when the kids were painting they got completely blue. And I don't mean sad.
Or vulgar.

Forbid fake tattoos? why?

'Cuz it implies that we don't mean what we say. If tattoos are taboo, then fake tattoos are just as bad as the real thing.

It's not the permanence, as much as it is marking the skin that I have a problem with. I really don't like the kids writing/drawing/painting on themselves either. But I do get overridden on that point.

Maybe it's 'cuz I'm a clean freak. I don't like to work on the car 'cuz my hands get dirty...

Nothing wrong with them but kids must wait until 18. There is *less* of a chance of them really regretting it. Picture what kind of tattoo an 8 year old would choose. :eyebrows: Maybe a favorite character... they would be probably be embarrassed when they were older... so no tattoos. Body piercing... I don't know.... maybe 18 for that too except ears.... I guess its one of those "I'll jump that bridge when I come to it" issues.

What is SDA?

SDA usually Seventh Day Adventist... My father grew up in a SDA Home......

I have no prob with temp tatoos.... kids can put em on as long as they ask FIRST.

When we went out on the Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine last summer, our kids all had tattoos....I was tempted to stick one on my cheek...I wussed out. :P

So, what is the big hang up w/ tats? The appearance? The stereotype? The Biblical aspect? What?

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Wouldn't that make it more itchy?

being honest here....stereotype for me...and actually, in thinking about it....I think it's more of what OTHER people may stereotype Andie than what I would...does that make sense?

I would never get one for the simple reason that I can't handle the pain.... :(

For me, GR, it's the appearance. I sat on this for a day before I answered it, just 'cuz I really don't want to sound preachy.

I've seen people who get tattoos in their 20s that they think look cool. Then, when they turn 50, that ship on their chest looks like it's sinking. They pledge to take good care of their bodies, but skin, unlike canvas, changes shape over time. Hence, the artwork gets less 'pretty' over time.

Also, there are people who, in their rebellious 20s get a tattoo that says something that would be unacceptable. When they get older, that tattoo is now a source of shame. An old friend of my MIL (He's now with the Lord) had a tattoo he got in the 1920s of a naked woman. When Jesus changed his life, he was offended at what was on his arm. He used acid to burn the tattoo off his arm. In his mind, the burn scar looked better than the tattoo.

Then there's the issue of geeks and dorks getting tattoos to be cool. When they do that, they're just tattooed geeks and dorks. I tried to change my life from being a geek into something cool. All I wound up was a drunk, whoring geek. One cannot change their personality with something external.

Also, as I said before, I don't like marking the skin. I have issues with my kids drawing on themselves. Then there are the tattoo horror stories I mentioned in this and other posts.

Having said that, all of this is personal preference, not bound up in scripture or other dogma. I'm fortunate that my wife agrees with me so we can lay down this rule in our house. :)

If you consider tattoos part of your ministry, by all means get them. I will not stop you or think less of you. You're a grown man (I think :o ) and capable of making your own decisions. Just be careful that the artist uses clean needles.