Parents get to decide where and what their kids eat, who their friends are, and even what school they go to. So why do so many parents hate tattoos? That is a great question! While tattoos have become more commonplace in recent years, that doesn’t change the fact that most people’s parents still don’t approve of them. If you are an adult who wants to get your first tattoo or expand your current collection, then chances are you understand why this is a problem for your parents. After all, you’re an adult with the right to make your own decisions about how to live your life…right? Well, it’s not quite that simple. Let’s take a look at why parents hate tattoos and explore why this might be the case.
Why Do Parents Hate Tattoos?
In the past, when people had tattoos, it was a sign of rebellion and defiance. Nowadays, tattooing is a sign of being in the know and hip. In today’s society, tattoos are less rebellious and more an expression of individuality. It is no longer a sign of shame or sin, but rather a sign of pride and personal achievement!
What Is Behind The Parents’ Tattoo Dilemma?
- We are born with a specific set of moral values. These values are taught to us by our parents. They are the ones who have the most influence on our moral development. But why do we need parents to teach us morality? Why is it not enough for us to learn it from other people? Where does morality come from?
- This is a very important question, and there are many answers to this question. For example, some people believe that morality comes from God; others believe that it comes from human nature; still, others believe that it comes from social institutions. The truth is, however, that there is no one correct answer to this question because each one of these answers contains a different aspect of morality. So let’s look at these different answers in detail so that we can understand what they mean and why they exist.
- God: This answer says that God has given us moral values as part of His creation: the world is morally perfect, and God has created us to be moral beings. So we find our moral values in God’s creation.
- Human Nature: This answer says that it is part of human nature to be moral and that we are born with a conscience that tells us what is right and wrong. So we find our moral values in human nature.
- Social Institutions: This answer says that morality comes from the social institutions in which humans live, such as governments and laws, which tell us what is right or wrong. So we find our moral values in these institutions.
- We know that there are many different answers to this question because different people have different ideas about what morality is and why it exists. But let’s look at an example of how the different answers relate to each other: If we believe that morality comes from God, then we should accept God’s will as our authority on morality; if we believe in human nature, then we should respect human nature; if we believe in social institutions, then those institutions should be respected; if we believe in the authority of government, then we should obey the laws of the land; and if we believe in our own conscience, then we should follow our conscience. This is how the different answers relate to each other.
- Let’s say that you have a tattoo that you really don’t like; you think it’s ugly, and you would like to get it removed. You could go to someone who knows how to remove tattoos and ask them for their help, or you could go to a doctor who has had experience removing tattoos. If your doctor has experience removing tattoos, then she will probably be able to help you remove your tattoo safely and effectively. But if your doctor doesn’t have any experience removing tattoos, then she may end up injuring you while trying to remove your tattoo or even causing a scar in the process. The same is true with parents: If parents know how to raise moral children but choose not to do so because they are too busy with their own lives, then their children will not be raised to be morally perfect.
- Let’s say that you are a parent and you want your child to be morally perfect, but you are too busy with your own life to raise her to be morally perfect. You could go ask a grandparent or some other family member who knows how to raise moral children what they would do in this situation. But if that person is not willing or able to raise your child to be morally perfect, then she will probably fail in her attempt. In other words, if parents don’t know how to raise moral children, then they will fail in their effort because they will not know what needs to be done. But if parents do know how to raise moral children, then they will succeed in raising their children to be morally perfect. This is why it is important for parents who want their children raised as moral beings to have someone who knows how to do so help them out by taking on the role of a parent.
Tattoos And Culture
- Tattoos have been used for many different purposes throughout the course of history. From marks of identity to religious and cultural symbolism, tattoos have been a part of many peoples’ lives for a very long time.
- The earliest tattoos were used as a way to identify prisoners. The practice of tattooing was first recorded in the early 1600s. Prisoners had to have a mark on their arm, which could be easily concealed with long sleeves so that they could be identified throughout their sentence.
- It is said that the first Europeans to have tattoos were sailors who had been captured by the Japanese during World War II. The Japanese would tattoo them as a way of marking them as prisoners and preventing them from escaping.
- For many years, tattoos were used by sailors and soldiers as a sign of bravery and status among peers. Sailors would often get tattoos on their hands or forearms in order to distinguish themselves from other sailors who did not have tattoos (Marks, 2010).
- In addition to the use of tattoos for identification purposes, they were also used for religious purposes by many cultures throughout history (Marks, 2010). Tattoos were seen as a sign of religious devotion and a sign of belonging to a particular faith.
- The Maori in New Zealand were the first people to use tattoos as a way of marking an individual’s membership in the tribe (Marks, 2010). These tattoos were meant to serve as a symbol of belonging and loyalty to the tribe.
- In the United States, women in prisons would get tattoos to mark their status as prisoners; they would often get their prison number and/or name tattooed on their arms (Marks, 2010). For example, if they had committed a crime that was serious enough that they would be sent to prison for a long period of time, they would have their commitment date tattooed on their arm so that everyone could see that they had been committed for a specific amount of time (Marks, 2010).
- In the United States and in many other countries, tattoos were used as a way of marking men who had served in the military. Tattoos were often placed on soldiers’ forearms to show their rank and where they had served (Marks, 2010).
The Bottom Line
When it comes to parenting, one of the most important skills that you can develop is the ability to gauge your child’s readiness for different experiences. If your kid isn’t ready for a tattoo, then it’s probably best to steer them away from getting inked. If your child understands the permanence of the decision they are making, if they have thought through the reasons behind getting a tattoo, and if they are ready to deal with possible future regret, then you might consider letting them do what they want. It’s important that you remember that you can’t control your child’s decisions forever.