Hi not trying to turn this into netmums but any other tattooed parents out there?

[sleepy mel]

Hello im Mel and im quite new here , I have a great intrest in tattoos particuarly traditional ones and I am also a parent of three children. I was wondering how any other parents with tattoos feel , has anyone ever felt people judge them because of their artwork or do people just show a friendly intrest? For my own part I hope having tattooed parents will make my children open to all sorts of differences in people . Sorry for long post I love this forum because no one in my circle shares my intrest.

[cfgsteak]

I'm a father of 3 daughters...yep, people judge you. But most people don't.

My daughters like my tattoos. I think that being exposed to a bunch of non-mainstream stuff (underground music, art, and stuff like tattooing) has opened their minds a lot. They embrace some of it and rebel in the weirdest ways...like listening to disney crap...but hey, they are kids just like we were trying to figure shit out.

I hope that what they learn is that people who judge you by appearance are assholes, don't be one. Value your individualism. Stuff like that...

[David Flores]

Tattoos, No Tattoos what is the difference. Luckily most other parents I come into contact with don't seem to care up to this point. Who know what they say about me behind my back, but then again they don't know what I say about them. I think exposing your kids to different cultures, music, cuisine, art is important, although I don't think the eagle on my leg or my shark smoking a cigarette is going to mold my child into a better person.

There are some close minded people with tattoos, and people with not a tattoo on their body with a way more well rounded view of life than me, but at least my kids might think I am cool one day.... .or not.

[cfgsteak]

I don't think the eagle on my leg or my shark smoking a cigarette is going to mold my child into a better person.

I think you are under-estimating the power of sharks smoking cigarettes.

[Kev]

Father of three - 17 year old boy, and two girls, 5 and 8. Pretty much all of the parents I know/ hang out with are tattooed, but that maybe just a geographic thing. The hardest thing I've run into so far is trying to get my teenager to wait to get his first tattoo in a legit shop. I actually see my tattoos as good teaching devices about rites of passage and culture, as all my tattoos have a deeper significance to me. They definitely make for good conversation starters with with my younger kiddos.

As far as other parents/teachers, I haven't run into any real issues with judgment. My heavily-tattooed ex and mother of my daughters is a teacher and the parents love her and my girlfriend is a teacher as well, so moving through those social circles has been rather easy.

[shaneenholm]

Well that is an interesting subject..I am the father of 5 kids...ages 28 ,26,24,21,16.....and they grew up around tattooing. And only 2 of them have any tattoos and they are minimal and by 19(1983) i was sleeved and a parent.

I think they look at it like that is their Pops job and not some cool thing.None of them wanted to tattoo ..though it was offered as a career to all of them..I am very happy they passed.Though i beleive it helped influence their creativity but I will never know for sure because I have no non tattooing family to compare it to...if ya follow me.

I think because they grew up around it ..it gave them more of an open mind into not judging people by their appearances...i think it also helped them not care what others thought of their apprearance or their friends appearances, i was recently at one of their weddings and a friend of my daughters came up to and said he was always terrified of me when he was younger...which i wondered how that perception by my childrens friends of me may have affected them...but i am pretty sure it did not do as much damage as my parenting in general may have done.

They have never asked me to cover my tattoos ,though one of the step daughters(2 of the 5) used to ask her mother to cover hers ( she too tattoos for aliving)...but that was early on.

I think it is as much the internet as anything that has normalized tattooing in the eyes of the youth. I wonder if the whole premise that the generations revolt and do the opposite of their parents will be like in 20 years...they revolt as teenagers but beome their parents in their 30s and 40s...so i guess we will see....

What is it..that today a 15 year old in africa who owns an I phone has access to more information than the president of the united states did on the year of the the teenagers birth( long winded way of saying 15 years ago)

THAT HAS TO HAVE SOME INFLUENCE ON EVERYTHING...INCLUDING OUR CHILDRENS PERCEPTIONS OF TATTOOING AND THIER PARENTS TATTOOS....NO?

[s33ktruth]

I have a lot of friends that have kids and always say that their children are ahead of the class and usually in honor roll. I think it's funny, a good friend of mine is head of the PTA for the school where her kids go. Tattoo that, conservative losers.

[sleepy mel]

Those are all really interesting posts. S33ktruth its true what you say my 12 year old daughter just collected 11 merit certificates at the end of term.

[s33ktruth]

Those are all really interesting posts. S33ktruth its true what you say my 12 year old daughter just collected 11 merit certificates at the end of term.

Yeah, I am also a victim of this...I am on the Dean's list and still am for Highest Honors. :p

[David Flores]

Yeah, I am also a victim of this...I am on the Dean's list and still am for Highest Honors. :p

Well I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. Just kidding guys good work.

[sleepy mel]

I wish my flat smelt of rich mahogany , normally it smells of bleach and cats.

[TrixieFaux]

I have a 3 year old daughter and I teach kindergarten. Where I work most of the parents of my students have tattoos so they don't mind mine... I suppose if I were teaching where I grew up (small town CT) I might have to think twice but here in urban Los Angeles I feel pretty accepted. I don't have full sleeves or anything...just 4 tattoos...1 that never shows and 3 that sometimes do although almost never all at the same time. However, I have a friend who is also a teacher and a mom who is covered in tattoos. I don't think any of the other parents ever complained as far as I know. She's a good teacher and a good mom and that's all that should matter. Still, I'm sure people judge. People judge each other all the time for all kinds of things but I find it best to ignore that type of thing and do what you like and don't worry about it.

[MsRad]

Well I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. Just kidding guys good work.

it's the second time this reference has been used on this forum! Anchorman, FTW!

[sleepy mel]

These are all lovely positive posts as I have mentioned before my partner and I liking the world of tattooing has shown my eldest daughter that people come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and that there are many people out there doing great work and a tattoo shouldnt be a rushed decision.

[David Flores]

Teaching your kids to be open minded and to make carefully considered decisions is a trait that everyone should be taught. If a tattoo helps deliver this message then why not.