Should You Teach Your Child About The Risks Of Getting A Tattoo?

Yes! It is every parents responsibility to prepare your child for the real world. And this includes educating them on the risks of getting a tattoo.

First, I'm not against tattoos. Some are truly masterpieces. But I'm not an advocate for my kids to get a permanent one. Their body at the age of 20 or 30 will look a lot different as they enter their 40's, 50's and 60's. As such, their tattoo will also begin transforming. And when you add sun exposure, age, and possible other healthy risks to the tattoo beauty equation you get warped piece of art that you have to live with for the rest of your life.

I haven't met many people in their 50's who regret getting a tattoo, especially a tattoo that covers a large part of their body. And getting it removed, isn't that simple either. Did you know that from 2011 to 2012 laser tattoo removal increased 32%. These are numbers that can't be ignored.

So that brings me to why I am writing this. My beautiful niece just got a tattoo. I was shocked and a bit heartbroken, because I never expected her to ever get one. And it's a bit bigger than I'm accustomed too. Yes it is a gorgeous piece of art. But it is huge. And there is no way that when she turns 50 or 60 that it is going to look like that.

My nieces tattoo made me realize that I really need to not only talk and teach my kids about things such as using protection during sex (which I haven't had the conversation yet, but I'm not too far from having it), drinking and driving and drugs, but also the risks of getting a tattoo.

In the past, I have talked with my kids about why people get tattoos and why I'm not a proponent of them. Below are my reasons:

• There is the possibility of it getting infected.
• You can contract bloodborne diseases — including tetanus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
• You could have an allergic reaction.
• You may not like the final result once it is etched on your body.
• As you age, the tattoo will not look the same.
• It's not that easy to get a tattoo removed. And scarring is left once it's removed.

Personally, why get a permanent tattoo, when you can get a temporary tattoo. You then have the option of changing it every few weeks or never getting another again. However, there are still risks involved with temporary tattoos such as lesions, loss of skin pigmentation and sensitivity to light. Whenever you put a foreign substance in your body, their are risks.

All I want is for my kids to love who they are inside and out, and take care of every aspect of themselves so they can grow and age with a positive healthy outlook. I don't believe that a tattoo at the age of 20 years old will leave them a proud owner of it in their 60 + years. I'm open to other people views.


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