Obama and Tattoos NOT political

susiestar

Roll With It
This is NOT about politics so let's please keep it that way.

Apparently Obama has told his kids that if they get tattoos then he and Michelle will get the same tattoo in the same place and show it as a family tattoo on Youtube.

I admire the courage.

He CLEARLY does not have a difficult child. I can only imagine what Wiz would come up with if he was told that. I would probably end up with a rear view of a dog's tushie on my face if I put something like that out there. He wuold go for the most outrageous ugly thing he could because he knows that I would 100% follow through if I said I would.

I hope no one gives the Obama girls that idea.

It does show an understanding of teens an dhow to motivate them. Reminds me of when a friend was dating a bad boy and she ditched him because her dad kept taking him fishing and to football games. Dad was supposed to HATE him, not take him places. Esp when Dad gave her ticket to her boyfriend. Totally ruined her relationship with the guy.

What raction would YOUR difficult child have to Obama's threat/statement/challenge? Would it be a challenge? A dare? A threat? or a deterrent?

So far the threat of having to pay for a ton of tests iwth their own cash has kept them from tattoos while they are minors. Pointing out the saggy stretched out tattoos on people at the pool when they were little also helped. One guy couldn't figure out why I bought him a coke one day. It was a thank you because at the time Wiz was thinking tattoos were cool (he was nine maybe), He saw this man's old tattoos and that was the end of that. The pinup girl on his arm was particularly sad. She really sagged.
 

Calamity Jane

Well-Known Member
Lol Susie, you are right - the President and Mrs. Obama do not have difficult child's! I think that was a very clever deterrent, though.

My difficult child, who is edgy does not suffer from mortification or shame - rather he craves attention from outrageous ideas, music, clothing, and is fascinated by body piercings, tattoos, etc. but hasn't got the money to pay for them right now. I remember when he was a kid and he asked what I would do if he got a tattoo (I was driving him and a girl he liked back from a party) and he was expecting me to act all shocked, and I said the only tattoo I would allow would be on his forehead, that says, "Stupid Hurts." The girl got hysterical and he never mentioned it again.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Onyxx would do it anyway, and see if we followed through. Several years ago she mentioned that she wanted a memorial tat for her little sister that died. I said I'd pay for something small and tasteful, but she had to come up with the design and stick with it for a long time... Somehow it morphed to a full-back tat... That I was supposed to pay for. Needless to say, she doesn't have anything yet.

Jett thinks tattoos are too much, and too criminal... For now. And Meggie... Has no idea. Yet.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
If my kids want a tatoo (small tatoo, not a skull on both arms) I don't really care. Jumper would think it was cool if we got a matching tatoo with her.

However, it's moot. She has said she doesn't want one. Julie has tatoos. She's 28 and they are in hidden spots, but one is pretty big. I put that in the "no b ig deal" pile, especially due to her age.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I just signed the consent form.

My kids had to wait until they were 16 and the tat had to be approved by mom. In other words, tasteful.

I didn't have an issue with either easy child or Nichole.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
This would work for some kids.

My PCs would never even consider getting a tattoo (and one is in the Army) but if they had even mentioned getting one as teens and I had threatened to get a matching one, they would have been mortified that I would even consider such a thing and never mention it again. The thought of mom with a tattoo would be a shock they might never recover from.

17yo stepson would never consider a tattoo either, but would his reaction would probably be along the lines of 'I don't care what you do, but you'll just look stupid. Then he would drop the thought.

difficult child, on the other hand, would put more effort into getting the most outrageous tattoo he could find and then dare us to follow through on the threat (promise?).

Just goes to show there is no 'one right way' to do things, especially with difficult children.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Lisa - anymore, most decent places won't even do it till the kid is 18. Regardless of parental consent. Piercings too. Some will, but not usually the better places.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Maybe in the city...........but not here. lol Here? It's not a big deal. Although they DO require parental consent and parent DOES have to be there, not just sign paperwork. Which I think is reasonable.

I'm not a huge fan of tats. But I look at it as not much different than piercings. As long as it's tasteful, I don't have an issue. Except when it comes to the nose and mouth areas......but that is for medical reasons, not "tasteful" reasons. Know what I mean??
 

nerfherder

Active Member
For reference: I got my first for my 40th birthday. It's a blossom I love, and I happened to find the perfect photo of the one I wanted, and! The variety of the plant has my name in it, *and* the man who took the photo, found on a gardening website, even sent me a packet of seeds from it!

(Avoiding mentioning the plant and the var. because that makes me pretty identifiable through Google. Tough. :tinfoilhatsmile:[giggling at the tinfoil hat])

But where to put it? You know my family history, and my mom would plotz!

Shaved the back of my neck and up to the base of my skull, and had it go there. You can see it if I move my braid, but Mom doesn't go there.

Anyway. When I was mid-late teens and still wearing my hair in a perfectly ordinary set of braids, one on each side, Mom threatened if I didn't do "something nice" with my hair that she'd sneak in at night and cut off one braid.

And of course being a teen I said "If you do that, I'm going to leave my hair like that and when anyone asks, I'll tell EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID."

Mom has issues with public embarrassment. Me? Not so much. She never did what she threatened.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
My Mom is a lot more laid back than she used to be...

I had my hair professionally cut... From the ears down, it was less than 1/4" long and ORANGE... Above, it was normal blonde, long, mainstream. I looked... Normal... Till I went clubbing.

Mom did not see my first tattoo (gotten at age 20) until I was 25. I still love it, though I'd move it from my shoulder to my back. I have 2 others.

I got my navel pierced when I was 27. Mom didn't know till I was 33.

Now? I whip out "baby food" for Meggie - in front of my parents or anyone. And I have rationally discussed my next tat with Mom... Yeah, we're both a bit more relaxed now.
 

CrazyinVA

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Wouldn't have stopped my kids, they might have even seen it as a dare. Both got tattoos and piercings) as soon as they turned 18. Oldest is still adding them.

Living in the 3rd most tattooed city in the U.S. (according to a random poll a few years ago), I'm so used to seeing them everywhere, I don't even blink at tattoos any more. Half my friends have them.
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Interesting question.

Step-D would be mortified at the thought of her stodgy and embarassing parents having tattoos of anything, anywhere. She would also be horrified at the thought of getting one herself, so no risk there.

difficult child's pain tolerance is non-existent. He has to be sedated AND restrained to get a needle at the doctor. Not terribly worried about him getting one.

easy child, hard to tell. At the moment, he thinks that only "bad kids" and "gangsters" get tattoos, so he's not interested. He's a very clean-cut jock type, so a tattoo doesn't really fit in with his image. I'll be interested to see whether this stays consistent into his teen years and beyond.

Tyrannosaur is a bit of a dandy. Strange thing to say about a 3-yr-old, but he likes to look very natty, and takes great care over his outfits. And he's sooooo preppy. I can't imagine the thought of a tattoo ever crossing his mind. He'd say something like "It would ruin the aesthetic line" if only he were old enough to have the vocabulary.

Tyrantina, now. If any of my children is a candidate for a wild-n-crazy tattoo, I think she's the one. And I have a feeling she'd react the same way that Wiz and Onyxx would -- get something outrageous and obvious, to see if I'd dare follow through. I would never get a tattoo (I develop huge keloids from a mosquito bite -- can't imagine what a tattoo would do to my skin) so I wouldn't make the threat.
 

HaoZi

CD Hall of Fame
I posted a link to the article about "Tattoo Parenting" on CNN last week in Watercooler if anyone wants to read the actual article.

I've got 7 tats myself, all of which I got before I had Storm. I've been wanting more for a long time now, including a set of her handprints if I can get a clear print done of them. I did tell her I'd pay for her first one at 18, so long as it's reasonable, i.e. in good taste, well thought out, not too expensive, and done by a place that is safe.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
I want a small one with my kids' names on them... At this point, Onyxx and Jett are "mine" as much as Meggie, I just acquired them in a different manner. Also a WWII memorial type thing for my grandparents.
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
I think President Obama may have bitten off more than they can chew...because that little one...she looks like she could be a potential difficult child once the hormones hit! Hahhaaa.

I personally don't have any issue with tattoos. Both my girls have some, I have some. As long as they are tasteful of cna be hidden, I just don't see the problem. But that is me.
 

Hopeless

....Hopeful Now
Well both husband and I have a tattoo each, but the rule with our kids was not until they were 18. difficult child has 3 (2 are fine with me, but not thrilled with the 3rd one). easy child has a small verse on her side by her top rib area. You can only really see it if her bra is off.
 

Dixies_fire

Member
I have one have had it since I was 18, it's half dollar sized and shows when I wear shorts or most skirts. I like it still I've thought about incorporating it into a garter. My ex boyfriend paid for it and broke up with me shortly after, that turned me off of getting another one for a long time. My hubs has 3 he got done by a "friend" I think they all need to be gone over by a professional and "fixed"

My husband told me one night over a year ago while he was smashed that I needed more ink, it hurt my feelings and I won't talk to him about it anymore. He doesn't drink anymore by the way.

My dad was absolutely insane about my tattoo for years and kept offering to get it removed. Finally got over it and my mom never said much about it.

I don't know if I will ever get another one as my body is not how I want it to be, the comment my husband made etc.

As for the tyrants. When they get older I guess I will just try to impress on them that it needs to be able to be covered, and it might look and feel ridiculous to them one day. Even the army has gone to no tattoos showing in duty uniform or dress uniform and I swear everyone I know has some.
I don't think I would pay for a tattoo for any of them but maybe a piercing. None of that gage **** though.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
My daughter has two and regrets both of them. She has one on her leg that is a filled in silhouette of a wolfs head ... but it only looks like a wolfs head if you KNOW thats what it's supposed to be. Otherwise it just looks like a dark blue blob on her leg. Then she got another smaller one low on the back of her neck. It's a pretty little sunburst, about the size of a quarter. And it seems like no matter what she wears, the top 2/3rds of it shows above the collar of her shirt and looks just like a tag sticking out. She's lost track of how many people have come up behind her and put their hand on the back of her shirt collar intending to tuck the "tag" back in where it belongs before they realize that it's a tattoo.
 

susiestar

Roll With It
My mom and I almost got them together when I was sixteen or seventeen. We went to visit bro in MO for the end of his army training (post boot camp training). Tattoos were not legal in our state at the time. Just before the trip we heard about several people getting AIDS from tattoos and dental work and decided it was not something we were able to make an informed choice about yet. We never did get around to it.

A few years later I met husband and he loathes tattoos. As it isn't a big deal to me one way or the other, I have not gotten any. I may at some point, and while he may not like it he would never try to forbid it or anything. He already knows that would only make me get one sooner, lol. But as it is a big deal to him, I don't mind not getting one.

I don't trust the lasers to remove them with-o scarring. father in law got an early laser removal of the one he got one drunk night in the service. He always hated it. The laser did a horrible job and left huge scars that could not be fixed. He greatly prefers the scar to the tattoo, but no one really wants to be scarred, Know what I mean??

I ust KNOW that Wiz would have gotten what around here is called a 'job stopper' - a big, dark tattoo on the face, neck, forearms, hands that keeps you from getting many jobs. Just to force me to get that same tattoo, and it would likely be something he hated because he would know I would hate it too. Idjit boy. He knows me well enough to know that if I said it, I WOULD follow through with it. I can be dumb that way sometimes, wheen backing down would clearly be a smarter move.
 
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