Today I thought I'd touch on a parenting subject that I reckon a number of you - especially those parents with offspring who are tweens or teens - might have had to deal with. For those of you whose children are younger than that, better listen up too as you’re gonna face it soon enough too. I’m referring, of course, to TATTOOS and PIERCINGS. And the young people sure can be fascinated by them.
Over the years, my wife and I had interesting conversations with our teenage daughter Jemima, who cycled through alternating phases of desiring to imprint parts of her anatomy with tattoos of various designs and contemplating sticking metal objects through the same. She never actually went through with any of it (aside from earrings), but she argued her case eloquently and pointed to the fashion of the day, showing us photos of friends as well as media celebrities (see Angelina Jolie on left, Beckham & unknown starlets below) who had tattoos and piercings of all conceivable shape and size.
Having grown up in a relatively tattoo-less and piercing-less (except for pierced ears for the girls) environment, I guess our generation is still kinda conservative in this area. So during Jem's early teenage years, we attempted to exert our parental control (through the usual means - reason, threat, reverse psychology or bribery :-) against these bodily offenses. It seems to have worked while Jem was still studying and living at home in Singapore. Now that she’s nineteen and away at university, who knows what she's up to ...
Well guys, what are your views ? What similar discussions might you have had with your kids on this subject ? Do your offspring have tattoos or piercings ? Or could I have misjudged you guys ... maybe you don't disapprove of them. Maybe you even have tattoos and piercings yourself ? If that's the case, make sure you show them off at the Grand Reunion. LOL
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i like dragon tattoo lady !!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like WJ is catering for both male and female visitors through his choice of pictures. heheheh.
ReplyDeleteHahaha
ReplyDeleteI recognise you Anon Oct 24,2009 10.18PM
Alamak , aledy too late lah! My kids both already got tattoos and piercings.But small one lah.
ReplyDeleteHeard tatoos are not good ler, if your skin can't take it, you can get skin cancer lors, to remove it you need laser, which is quite painful for some. Before they use acid and can leave scars you don't want to see.
ReplyDeleteSome of us shd get our teenage kids to read this and post their comments. Will certainly get different viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Dr No. Dunno why some of the kids want to risk all that. Like they say in Hokkien "Ai Sui Mai Mia".
ReplyDeleteaiyoyo...u forget we from sarawak...tatoo is traditional and cultural and as far as piercing is concern google 'palang'..
ReplyDeletei also know who titi buster is..she is notty..hehehe
We are all diferent and we are individuals - the views will be different from different perpective parents. Majority of us are more "old" fashion and cautious. Like Tuan WJ said, we were brought up in those times where we viewed those having tattoos as a gangster or so we were told unless you are our brothers who were born as the natives of Sarawak and tattoos are acceptable, some are considered as a mark of leadership.
ReplyDeleteIt is an offence in England for a tattooist to "ink" to those under 18 years old.
I would say, if you want a tattoo, make sure your skin are not sensitive or have a history of skin problems like eczema. Try henna tattoo (which is only temporary even this can cause skin reaction).
Personally, I like tattoos and I like to see them on some people, especially on those sexy female bodies!!!! Woaaaaa. Mind you only to an extent as too much or "silly" ones can be OTT and spoils it. Like an art on canvas? As for me, I have a tattoo for many years and I am tempted to have another one or two!!!.
Be warned, having tattoos can be additive, just look at David Beckham and it is a fact.
To those children under 18 - forget it. Go get those rub on ones. Do you guys still remember that?
To those who are considering having one - just remember my earlier advice regarding your sensitive skin and have a small one to start and most importantly go to a registered and reputable tattooist.
To those worried parents - chill!!! lol
As for piercing - ear piercing is fine, anything else - I think you are mad!!!. No difference to having tattoos though - sensitive skins and infections plus others that it is too long to go into. There are more medical reports on problems with piercing than tattoos although they are more to do with other types of piercing - the more outrages ones. Just forget it unless you are into the fetish scene!!!!!.
I think recent tv programs like "LA Ink" and "Maimi Ink" and others have popularised tattoos even more.
ReplyDeleteApai brought up a very good point. My apologies for not mentioning the obvious fact that tattoos and piercing are an integral part of many native cultures in Sarawak.
ReplyDeleteAt some point I may do a Part 2 on this topic to give adequate coverage. And yes, I do know about the palang. Even seen an exhibit at the Sarawak Museum. Those who haven't yet, pls google it & be educated.
Problem with having tattoos on your body when you're young n slim is that in later years if you put on weight, the tattoo shape may get distorted, with not so nice results la. EG. a sleek horse may end up looking like a fat pig, a beautiful tulip may end up like the venus fly trap. Heheheh.
ReplyDeleteSince i've been in london, i have gotten 2 more piercings, one on my tongue and one on my belly button. As for tattoos, i am in the process of selecting a design but i think i would like one creeping down my spine. Poison Ivy maybe? I'm not sure. Maybe i'll have my family tree tattooed on my back. What are your thoughts dad?
ReplyDeleteHi Jem, 2 more piercings huh. Sounds cool. Maybe mum & dad will also get the same, so we can all have matching piercings. On your tattoo-down-the-spine plan, I don't think our family tree will fit. You're not that tall, and we have a big family.
ReplyDeleteGood insights on tattooing & piercing, Mr I like tattoos .
ReplyDeleteWJ & Jem, probably part1 of your family tree on Mr WJ, part2 on Mrs WJ and part3 on Ms WJ. There.. all in the family. I sure enough space even for a big family.
ReplyDeleteMost, if not all, of us survived long hair and sideburns in spite of our teachers and parents objections when we were young. So be cool, parents, when your kids come home with tattoos and piercings!
ReplyDeleteAlamak, i googled PALANG !!! This is extreme piercing. LOL
ReplyDeleteAdvice to the youngsters:
ReplyDeleteNever, never, never, never (did i say never?) permanently tattoo "I LOVE [bfren/gfren name]" anywhere on your body ... cos you never know what will happen six months down .... Hahaha !
Here, in the United States, body tattoos are pretty much a trendy fad for people 35 years and under. I'm referring to the body tattoos and not 1 or 2 small tattoos on the body. I believe the fad was started by most of the black professional basketball players, black hip-hop singers, where, most of their likes and dislikes were copied by the youngsters. Interestingly enough, a lot of people likes to tattoo chinese words because they like the "stickshape' of a mandarin word. Yao Ming,China's superstar player for the Houston Rockets, would laughed at the tattoos because the meaning of the chinese tattoos didn't make any sense. Depending on one's finances, a body tattoo and piercing could be an ongoing project for many years.
ReplyDeleteFor our age group of people, including Americans, , tattoos are generally not accepted as far as whole body and "sleeves (Beckham)" tattoos were concerned. I chuckled to myself when I see all these people getting into the fad whereas I came from a society where our native Malaysians had been doing it for decades if not centuries. When I was home in 2005, I believed their was a "tattoo convention" at Damai" where people from around the world showed off their tattoos. Not sure about the year or event though. Always wondered what these colorful tattoos would look like when one's body is about 85 years old.
Just a little perspective on tattoos from the other side of the world.
so did you succumb to the tattoo temptation, Alex? dun be shy now .. hehehe
ReplyDeleteRe Anon 26Oct 12:44Am advice ... I think it s ok leh to tattoo those words , but wat u must do is leave a small space between the E of "LOVE" and the gfren/bfren name. If things don't work out later, u just put in a D there .. so I LOVED gfren/bfren ... hohohoho!
ReplyDeleteApai & Anon Oct 26,2009 10.56am..
ReplyDeleteWhat about you guys? Do you have tattoo to show off at the re-union?
Of course, Chicken heart. We have LOTS to show and in interesting places too. That's why no women and children allowed. ROTFLMAO.
ReplyDeleteHey, Anon 11:32
ReplyDeleteI do hope there ARE women (they should be included as special guests, organising committee need to vet them first as potential entertainers) at the reunion and one should be proud to show off the bits of tattoos within the body. Definately no children or under 18s should be there and who's going to do the pole dancing then?. Btw, is Boon Chiang coming to the reunion, I remember he used to do pole vault, he may be able to gyrate his body on a pole for us!!!!
WJ, counter is spinning fast. 69100 + already. I'll bet we'll cross 70000 mark by tomorrow.
ReplyDeletePiercings r ok but still am against tatoos bo, wat is there to show off? If our creator wants our body to be beautiful, er, with tatoos, he would have given it to us when we were born, imagine, babies born with original tatoos. Our forefathers had cultural tatoos for a reason, one is, if u kill a wild boar by yourself, u get a tatoo. Can you guys still see young beautiful village girls with long ears, nose with huge rings?
ReplyDeleteDoctor No, the creator got give us tottoos also . it's called mole and birthmark.
ReplyDeleteWJ, u okay kah? No posting 4 hari sudah. hehehe
ReplyDeleteYou r right Nurse Yes, some were given mole(s) and birthmark(s), all those r good tatoos boh, originals n money can't buy. I checked my whole body, front n back, no mole n no marks. Guess I wasn't lucky huh?
ReplyDeleteAiyahhhhh, Doctor No.
ReplyDeleteLucky or not, it doesn't matter lah. What's the different - either you like it or not. Life's too short, mah. You want it, then go get some, dosen't want it but like the look of it, then google it and enjoy all those weird and wonderful ones. It takes all sorts, mah and it's individual choice. At least you are lucky to have a blank canvas.....must be luck, mah
will there be a tattoo & piercing display section of the Grand Reunion? LOL
ReplyDeleteThe butterfly tattoos are beautiful. I want! I want!
ReplyDeleteHai ya! We forgot to compare our tattoos and piercings during the Grand Reunion! LOL!
ReplyDeleteHi...Anon 11:49
ReplyDeleteIf you have tattoos to show, why don't you take a photo of them and send them to WJ and he will keep your identity as Anon and post them on the blog - same goes to the rest of you who have tattoos. Let us have a look at what you have got on your bodes!!!