Dropping the Bomb, how your parents found out about your first tattoo!

[AlannaCA]

I am very curious to hear peoples stories of how you told your parents about your first tattoo. where they mad, accepting, do they not know, whats the deal? please share your stories whether they be funny, sad, harsh or stupid! were you old enough that your parent influence didnt matter? do you still hide them to this day?

[AlannaCA]

I ask becasue my dad does not know about the new additions to my body and i seem to be having a very hard time finding a way to tell him. I grew up in a very strict home with a catholic/christian influence. tellin my dad about my tattoos is a very scary thing for me because he looks down on tattoos and people with tattoos, well at least while i was growing up he did. i know that tattooing is going to play a bigger part in my life and i am going to continue to add to my collection so before i get a new piece i figure telling him is something i have to do. thinking about this gives me a little bit of anxiety and i am really paranoid that he might kick me out of his house(worst case senerio).

[gougetheeyes]

I ask becasue my dad does not know about the new additions to my body and i seem to be having a very hard time finding a way to tell him. I grew up in a very strict home with a catholic/christian influence. tellin my dad about my tattoos is a very scary thing for me because he looks down on tattoos and people with tattoos, well at least while i was growing up he did. i know that tattooing is going to play a bigger part in my life and i am going to continue to add to my collection so before i get a new piece i figure telling him is something i have to do. thinking about this gives me a little bit of anxiety and i am really paranoid that he might kick me out of his house(worst case senerio).

So, we grew up in the same house? I got bluebirds on my chest and after a truly devastating first semester at college, I moved back home. My mom came into my room in the morning -- without knocking! -- while I was asleep and saw a wing peeking up out of my t-shirt. She started shouting at me, emptied the laundry basket on top of me, and ran downstairs. Now, almost TEN YEARS LATER, she seems almost proud that I've become this kind of tattooed oddity. She just sent me some page from the Washington Post magazine about the Baltimore Tattoo museum hahahahaaa -- the first time she's actively showed an interest in anything tattoo-related!

[RockelMan]

I am very curious to hear peoples stories of how you told your parents about your first tattoo. where they mad, accepting, do they not know, whats the deal? please share your stories whether they be funny, sad, harsh or stupid! were you old enough that your parent influence didnt matter? do you still hide them to this day?

I had got my first tattoo while I was away. Due to it being on my forearm it would be hard to hide, so I said nothing till I got home. I just said well I got a tattoo and I dont think its going to be my last. Well needless to say my Mom was not impressed more so she was disappointed in my decision. Well to give her credit, at that time she was teaching in a penitentiary and all the convicts were tattooed and that's all she knew about tattoos. Each time I get another one she says "I hope this is going to be your last one" to which I always reply "You never know what the future will hold". My dad did not say much other than did it hurt? and why did you pick that image? Other than that he does not seem to mind them. I just don't really bother to say when I get more work done just let them notice and they can say "is that new?" and at that point I show them whats being worked on. Back while I was living at home they never kicked me out of the house for it or anything. Just made sure I was not going to put a tattoo in a location that may hinder future employment. (hands, neck or face).

[Jake]

Being the youngest of five children it was easy for me. All the older kids had already paved the way with things like tattoos and getting in trouble so I really had to do something extreme to shock my parents.

My girlfriend on the other hand had it quite different. Her mother cried (she still does every time she notices a new tattoo on her) and I think I remember one of her family members actually hitting her when they saw she had started getting tattoos. One holiday I spent with her extended family and her very old fashioned Greek Orthodox grandfather saw visible tattoos on me... He stated "Alexandra- there are two kinds of people in this world. Good people, and bad people. Your boyfriend is the 2nd kind." Mind you we had only exchanged pleasant introductions so far so this was solely based on how I looked. When he later found out she had defiled her skin he gave her quite the verbal lashing as well.

[webzombie]

I was still living at home when I got my first tattoo. After I got the piece done, I just bit the bullet and told my parents right when I got back. My mother really did not seem to mind, my father on the other hand stormed out and did not talk to me for four days. He eventually got over it (I think). Now-a-days my mother actually encourages me to get tattooed which is kinda weird actually.

[Deb Yarian]

I was visiting my parents with my new baby. I leaned over the crib and they saw it.

I just remember them shaking their heads.

My dad was from a NY blue collar Irish Catholic family and my mother from an upper middle class Jewish family.

My parents were pretty liberal thinkers but for them a tattoo was more of a class thing.

Even though tattooing eventually became my life it was never anything I shared or share with them.

When my father was hospitalized with a terminal illness I stayed with him and tended to his needs till he died.

I wore long sleeves so that he wouldn't see my tattoos on my arm--- just in case he would make a deathbed request that I not get any more tattoos.

I've come to the realization that my mother's inability to understand,like or appreciate my tattoos is not very different from my inability to accept her dislike.

Recently she also was hospitalized and I told her not to worry that I would get on a plane and be by her side In the morning ( even though my untattooed brother lives within an hour of her) What did she say? "Cover your tattoos!"

I've come to realize that many people when looking at tattoos can not see content, skill,quality.

When I first started getting tattooed my mother said to me that she didn't wnt my life made harder because of my tattoos and people judging because of them and I said that if people were going to judge me by the way I look they are not the people I want to be friends with anyway.

My mother's attitude has really helped me in my own relationship with my children. how to be more accepting of their appearances.

[Deb Yarian]

I was visiting my parents with my new baby. I leaned over the crib and they saw it.

I just remember them shaking their heads.

My dad was from a NY blue collar Irish Catholic family and my mother from an upper middle class Jewish family.

My parents were pretty liberal thinkers but for them a tattoo was more of a class thing.

Even though tattooing eventually becamhttp://www.colbeyjoyce.com/wp-content/gallery/Sketchbook/cowgirl.jpge my life it was never anything I shared or share with them.

When my father was hospitalized with a terminal illness I stayed with him and tended to his needs till he died.

I wore long sleeves so that he wouldn't see my tattoos on my arm--- just in case he would make a deathbed request that I not get any more tattoos.

I've come to the realization that my mother's inability to understand,like or appreciate my tattoos is not very different from my inability to accept her dislike.

Recently she also was hospitalized and I told her not to worry that I would get on a plane and be by her side In the morning ( even though my untattooed brother lives within an hour of her) What did she say? "Cover your tattoos!"

I've come to realize that many people when looking at tattoos can not see content, skill,quality.

When I first started getting tattooed my mother said to me that she didn't wnt my life made harder because of my tattoos and people judging because of them and I said that if people were going to judge me by the way I look they are not the people I want to be friends with anyway.

My mother's attitude has really helped me in my own relationship with my children. how to be more accepting of their appearances.

[misswendy]

Was gnarly. Was the tiniest little tattoo and she blew her stack. Told me tattoos were for trash. Ouch.

[MsRad]

uti and my dad took me to the ER (it was the weekend). they were checking me for kidney stones (i had recently had a kidney infection) and the gown was just a little bit too low cut. my mom already knew, but my dad didn't. by the end, they were both stoked to see how it turned out.

[Jake]

I've come to the realization that my mother's inability to understand,like or appreciate my tattoos is not very different from my inability to accept her dislike.

such a great observation...

[OaktownFunk]

got my first when I was away at college. My parents are pretty conservative especially my mom. When I showed her the tattoo she called me an asshole. That was the first time I had ever heard her curse. It was refreshing.

[Dhopper]

My dad told me if I got a tattoo below my elbow I was out of the house. I did, so he did. I had got a few while in high school and he thought I was stupid. My mom was a jehovah witness so she never saw any until I was sleeved already.

[NavyDavy]

I think it was 2002…. I hadn’t been home for a while from joining the Navy and so when I went home on leave for the first time in 2 years, my brother and I decided to bond by getting a tattoo. We told our mom we were going to the fish/reptile store, which my brother spends a long as time at. 6 hours later after paying a visit to the Tattoo Asylum in Las Vegas, NV. On my forearm, I got a rose and some background work on a recent tattoo I had acquired elsewhere. To hide it, I went to Wal-mart to get a long sleeve shirt to cover it up. I came home rocking my new forearm tattoo, but next thing I know, my mom sees me and gives me a hug, as she pulls me to go talk to my aunt who I haven’t seen in a while, she drags her hand down my arm! So I tried to hold back the cringing, but when she started to squeeze I made a cringe and after she thought about it for…. 15 seconds, she says “Que Chingado! You don’t wear long sleeves, What did you do?” She pulled up my sleeve and POW! That’s how she learned I got them. She was upset for a while, but she got over it. She still doesn’t approve of tattoos and she especially doesn’t like that I’m adding more to my body, but she says, “(in heavy Mexican accent) It’s not my problem, its tu esposas.” Which my wife kind of dislikes, but in the end she sits by me at the tattoo shop while I add some new ones. Haha.

[Joe Shit]

I got my first tattoo when i was 23,and it was a heart with Mom inside.I got it because i love my Mom,but also because she told me if i didn't go to rehab,she would throw me out of the house.I never thought of getting a tattoo before,but in rehab,my roomate was in the special forces,and he had all these cool tattoos.So when i got home,i wen't to the local biker/tattoo shop and got me a Mom Tattoo.My Mother didn't really care much..But she's one of the reasons why i don't smoke PCP anymore.

[MsRad]

My Mother didn't really care much..But she's one of the reasons why i don't smoke PCP anymore.

mom's rule!

[Wedge]

My parents are also ultra conservative and I have a great deal of respect for them. They generally don't like tattoos but are ok with the ones I have which have meaning. I still keep the random, "meaningless" ones hidden from them and I'm in my 40's. My mom actually got choked up when I showed her my family themed tattoo which incorporates sentimental elements including actual song notes from her favorite solo she used to perform in church. The same tattoo also honors my dad's Naval service with an anchor which he likes and a heart signifying their 55 yearsof marriage.

[AngelPie]

Interesting. Well, just on a positive note. My parents were born and raised in the bible belt, however, they moved to California as soon as they had me because they weren't happy there. My mom was raised Southern Baptist, and never wanted to force any beliefs on me, therefore, as soon as I felt alienated in church, I stopped going, which was quite young.

My mom took me to get my first piercings in high school because she said "At least a hole can heal, better than a tattoo!"

Hah, so she actually went with me to hold my hand through my first tattoo a little while later. She thought it was so beautiful that she considered getting one done herself by the same artist. She has one tattoo. She was a very sheltered and goody-goody I like to call her, all her life, especially before she hit 30. However, in one rebellious moment, her girlfriends convinced her to get my dad's initials on her chest. She drank 3 beers through a straw and let someone do it right there in the bar with a needle and ink. Most of my life she told me they were my initials (my dad and I have the same ones).

My mom makes me show my tattoo (on my ribs) EVERYWHERE I go, it's pretty annoying at this point.

Meawhile my dad was as wild as they came growing up. He tried to get a tattoo once on his bicep, it was too painful for him. He has a DOT tattooed there, I think I must have made fun of it since I was 10 or so. When I showed him my first tattoo, he was blown away by it, and ashamed at the story of his dot tattoo, haha...he kept asking if I was ok, since I showed him when the tattoo was still fresh. I'm blessed to have great parents.

[Scott Sylvia]

I was 14 and my mom chased me through the house trying to stab me with a pair of scissors. Ha-ha lets say it didn't go well.

[Bart Bingham]

i was 16 or 17. i got a small tattoo on my calve. back then i never wore shoes or socks. as soon as school let out the shoes and socks came off. so the day after i got it done i was in the kitchen and i had socks on(to hide the tattoo) and the conversation went like this

mom "so letes see it"

me "see what?"

mom "the tattoo. dont play dumb"

me "i dont know what youre talking about"

mom "BS, youre wearing socks. youre hiding something."

[gougetheeyes]

i was 16 or 17. i got a small tattoo on my calve. back then i never wore shoes or socks. as soon as school let out the shoes and socks came off. so the day after i got it done i was in the kitchen and i had socks on(to hide the tattoo) and the conversation went like this

mom "so letes see it"

me "see what?"

mom "the tattoo. dont play dumb"

me "i dont know what youre talking about"

mom "BS, youre wearing socks. youre hiding something."

Hahaaha foiled again by moms! They're always surprisingly perceptive..

[TexasJavi]

I learned how to make homemade tattoo machines when i was about 14 or 15 in high school by a Sur 13 buddy i had in my advertising design class...i was a punk rocker but we got along just fine hahaha

He came over to my house one day after i had given him the stuff to make a machine and he tattooed me with indian ink...it was the girls bathroom sign on my upper arm hahah (dont ask)! I managed to hide it at home but in school i was really proud of it and showed it off all the time like a dork.

One time my sister was visiting my parents and i was sitting on the couch and my t-shirt sleeve was pulled up a bit and my mom asked if that was magic marker on my skin. I said yeah, and my sister lifted up my whole sleeve and saw it also...she said, "yeah its just marker". Till this day im still not sure if she really thought it was marker of if she was just helpin me out (shes a real cool sis).

Later that year i tattooed the outline of the fist and the banners from the cover of Rancid's Let's Go album on my ditch on that same arm...i went and showed my mom what i had done and told her i wanted to be a tattoo artist when i got out of school and she just shook her head and turned around in disappointment. Days later and even now she'll warn me that people judge and i wont get a job even tho ive been tattooing for quite a few years now! haha My dad was always fine with them and would tell my mom not to give me a hard time. As long as i was a good kid, the tattoos shouldnt matter. Even when he was real sick and before he passed away, he would compliment my tattoos on how nice the work was!

My mom still asks me not to get anymore tattoos but she cant tell whether i have any new tattoos unless i tell her about them.

[AlannaCA]

ahahaha....im loving everyones stories and input, keep them coming!!

[hogg]

I've come to realize that many people when looking at tattoos can not see content, skill,quality.

I realized the same thing a while back. Most people see that I have tattoos, but that's all they really see. Never that I have a dragon on my left forearm or Mary on the other--just that I have ink. I was on a train a few years ago and a guy with several white power prison tattoos got on. (He was also missing part of his right ear, but no, it wasn't Chopper.) I realized that most people on that train saw no difference between my sleeves and his.

Oh, and as stated elsewhere, my parents still don't know. :)

[Xhooliganx]

I never had to come out of the closet about it.Both my parents have tattoos and I grew up around biker/hippie types.When I was about 12 we started doing handpoked stuff.Everyone I knew ended up with a suicidal tendencies tattoo or anarchy sign.At 17 they changed the law in IL to 21,I ended up waiting till I was 23 to start getting tattooed professionally.