Parenting 101: Tattooing Your Children is Illegal

2077147 Responseshttp://www.sojones.com/news/1645-parenting-101-tattooing-your-children-is-illegal/Parenting+101%3A+Tattooing+Your+Children+is+Illegal2010-01-07+16%3A01%3A38Andre+Sanchez to “Parenting 101: Tattooing Your Children is Illegal”

1. Mastablasta says:

   January 7th, 2010 at 11:30 pm

   FIRST!!!

2. IM says:

   January 7th, 2010 at 11:33 pm

   I am personally against tattooing. For me, it’s like a dirt in the body. But I do respect others who choose to have a tattoo.

3. me says:

   January 7th, 2010 at 11:37 pm

   Tattoos are very difficult to remove. Pierced ears grow back very easily. Tattoos are painful to have done and takes a while, piercing is somewhat painful but quick. Tattoos can’t be taken off the skin, only covered up. Piercings can be removed or worn as wanted.

4. ??? says:

   January 7th, 2010 at 11:58 pm

   none of my bizzness, raise them as you see fit. dont tell me how eather. power hungy finger pointer

5. Hamranhansenhansen says:

   January 8th, 2010 at 12:00 am

   There is no excuse for circumcision. It’s a disgrace to mutilate a defenseless baby. At least pierced ears or a tattoo do not ruin the functionality of your body. The primary effect of circumcision is to reduce sexual pleasure and that is the underlying reason it’s done no matter what the rationalization. I think it’s perverted to involve yourself in your kid’s sex life like that.

   Doctors will ask a parent if they want their baby mutilated and then actually do the mutilation for them. Piercing and tattoos pale compared to that.

6. greg says:

   January 8th, 2010 at 2:15 am

   im from malta in europe, and piercing babies, especially girls, is considered normal here, nearly everyone does it. Its not a big deal here. But the tattooing, yeah thats a big deal. Tattoing children isnt a good thing at all, you can ruin your childrens future like that!

7. Unsigned says:

   January 8th, 2010 at 5:55 am

   I think it should be illegal for parents to tattoo or pierce their children. We are not talking about a doll here. We’re talking about a human being who can not make the decision for themself. Alot of children have to endure these types of things then as if that’s not enough the parents don’t follow thru with their after care. They get infections, piercings get ripped out or they grow back together
   ect.. & who is the one enduring all of that? The innocent little child who never ask for this to be done to them in the first place!! There should atleast be an age limit of like 13 or something. No little baby should have to endure that because mommy & daddy think it’s cute. It is stupid!! I would hurt anyone who hurt my child & certainly wouldn’t want to be the one causing my own child any kind of pain!! Shame on these people who call themselves parent!!

8. Nunya says:

   January 8th, 2010 at 2:32 pm

   Who brought up circumcision?

9. pamelapeabody says:

   January 8th, 2010 at 2:40 pm

   for me, what they was sooo wrong, unethical and harsh 'cause i hate tattoos, and besides, they were kids for crying loud!!!!

10. tablet says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Tattooing scars the body. Children are not mature enough to make decisions that affect their bodies for the rest of their life. How many children would pick stupid cartoons to tat and have to live with them as adults. Not to mention tats have to be redone every 10 years. Ear piercing can be removed and you will not see them any more.

11. Andika says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:17 am

    Hi..thank you for allowing me to comment. My name is Andika, I’m from Indonesia. I’ve just make a blog about parenting. Most of the contents are about my little family, especially my daughter. You can find many of my daughter’s photos anda videos.

    Thanks again and have a nice day!

12. Abs says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:35 am

    I am personally against tattooing. For me it's like putting dirt in the body. Anyway, I RESPECT those who choose to have one.

13. PJ Doland says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:36 am

    So let me see if I understand this right…

    It’s perfectly acceptable to permanently remove a child’s foreskin as an infant, without his informed consent, but a little ink under the skin that can be removed safely with a laser later in life is a sign of bad parenting?

    Quite a world we live in.

14. Guairdean says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:54 am

    Any body modification of a child under 18 should be illegal. That includes tattoos, piercings, circumcision, female genital mutilation, and any others. They are all forms of abuse and any adult that inflicts this abuse on a child should be criminally charged. The time for religious mutilation has past. Civilisation has, hopefully, grown beyond the need for hygiene to be enforced at the point of a knife.

15. Doh! says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    What they couldn't wait until their kids first stint in prison to get their jailhouse tat's?

16. MC Hammer says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 9:33 am

    Tattooing is a permanent thing. It’s definitely wrong to have kids under 18 get a tattoo and definitely wrong to do it yourself if you are not licensed and using unsanitary methods. I never did think about the piercing for young kids until this article. It seems to be just as wrong. You should let your daughter or son decide when they are old enough to get piercings.

17. HDJ says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 9:40 am

    Um, I would say the primary difference between ear piercings and tattoos is the slightly more permanent nature of the latter.

18. FrayedKnot says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 6:34 pm

    That's it sheeople give more of your power up. Why should you as a parent decide what's best for your child especially when it's harmless to it and when a state or neighbor knows better than you? Yeah other peoples opinions about your children matter way more.

19. gh0st says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 11:13 am

    You can’t be seriously trying to make the argument that piercing one’s ears is anywhere close to getting a tattoo, can you?

    A piercing is temporary, where a tattoo is permanent. Come on, lets at least have a common sense debate if we are to have one.

    And I hate babies with pierced ears. HATE IT. My niece, at age 3, just had her’s done and let me reiterate: HATE IT. That being said, it is still no where near a tattoo.

    These parents should have not gotten their kids back. It would be one thing if they said, “Yah, we were a little tipsie and it seemed like a good idea” but to be all indignant and defensive??!? I would wager that the fact that it was a cross tattoo had a lot to do with this. Had it been a smaller pentacle, would they have gotten their kids back so soon?

20. Mark says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    I totally agree… Nothing like being brought into the world and then immediately having your penis mutilated to remove foreskin that is not detrimental!!!! Crazy religious non-sense!!!!!!!!!!!!

21. Mark says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    I totally agree… Nothing like being brought into the world and then immediately having your penis mutilated to remove foreskin that is not detrimental!!!! Crazy religious non-sense!!!!!!!!!!!!

22. Grant says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    I personally do not see anything wrong with what these parents did. It’s not something I would personally choose to do, but it’s not “immoral” and shouldn’t be illegal. We, as a society, need to allow parents the freedom to raise their children as they see fit. As long as the parents are not abusive (and I think anyone would be hard pressed to compare a tattoo to abuse), they should be free to instill whatever morals they choose upon their children.

    Yes, tattoos are forever – so are memories. I can guarantee that these children will remember their parents being sent to jail and being berated by society for the rest of their lives. And all because the parents did something that was not harmful and that their children ASKED to have done.

23. Nour says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 2:24 pm

    I really hate how the guy in the video says "tattoo." And the way he talks in general. I couldn't even listen to more than thirty seconds of the video.

24. Steve says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 2:37 pm

    Tattooing is, generally, permenant. Ear piercing is not. Simples.

25. Bork says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    everybody else is aware that a cross tattoo in that location is a mark commonly used by the KKK and other white supremacist groups to denote affiliation or membership, right? This is some white power racism BS right here.

26. nobody says:

    January 9th, 2010 at 5:03 am

    i see it as almost the same as having your babies ear pierced except that is more common and so becomes socially acceptable. no one even ask the baby if it wants it's ears butchered. at least these kids could have said no.

27. Solving Playgroup Problems | Parenting help in Pennsylvania.com says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 9:38 pm

    [...] Parenting 101: Tattooing Your Children is Illegal [...]

28. Deb C. says:

    January 9th, 2010 at 7:21 am

    As far as "choosing to decorate your child" goes, every parent does that when they buy their child's clothing. Second, while I diagree with piercing an infant's ears, I don't think the age limit of 13 that someone suggested above is quite appropriate either. I got my ears pierced when I was 6 years old, for my birthday. I had been wearing bracelets around my ears, so my mom finally agreed to let me pierce them (though I wasn't allowed to wear dangling earrings until I was 12). I remember it as a wonderful moment in my life.

29. Deb C. says:

    January 9th, 2010 at 7:21 am

    I would not, however, tattoo my child. Where I live, you have to be 18 (or have parental consent) in order to get a tattoo. And I think there's a good reason for waiting until 18. So many people who got tattoos as adults regret them. How many more would regret them if kids were getting tattoos. My biggest concern over what these parents did is that they did the tattooing themselves. There is a reason that you have to have a license to give tattoos. Improper instruments can lead to blood poisoning. Whether you think that allowing a child to get a tattoo is abuse or not, I think pretty much anyone should be able to see that using a homemade instrument was child endangerment.

30. Stef says:

    January 8th, 2010 at 11:37 pm

    Beyond the differences in their permanence, tattoos and piercings are the same: they are essentially decorative or aesthetic. Choosing how to decorate your child is ridiculous. I believe that no aesthetic changes should be made to kids until they are old enough to choose for themselves whether they want to have those changes made or not. I don't know how ear-piercing your baby got so widely accepted in the first place.

31. STOP!!!!! says:

    January 10th, 2010 at 7:56 pm

    I have to agree with you. The most common form of child abuse is having your childs ears pierced, not only could this be tramatic for the child but your child has the right as a person of whether or not they choose to have holes put in their ears or anywhere else on their body for that matter. I BY NO MEANS AGREE WITH WHAT THESE PEOPLE DID!!!!! However this is the message we are sending to the uneducated people in our society by allowing you to pierce your 6 month olds ears. Next we will hear in the headline news of the 6 month old with full body piercings or the 2 year old with a tramp stamp. I agree with an age limit however, I don't feel 13 is old enough, think about this we have the legal drinking age at 21 for what reason? Because we feel that most (not all but most) children don't start making rational decisions until their at least 21.

32. STOP!!!!! says:

    January 10th, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    Do I feel that these people should be punished for what they have done? No more than the person that just pierced their daughter or sons ears with icecubes and a needle. However, I do feel that laws need to be put in place to protect children from these types of child abuse and people need to be educated on why and how this is child abuse. Marinate on this! Whether you are sticking a needle or punching a hole through your childs skin IT IS WRONG!!!!!

33. santi says:

    January 11th, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    first loser

34. Pix Place says:

    January 16th, 2010 at 2:15 am

    I dont know, my brother in law is 40 and cant create so much as half a thought.

35. aimee says:

    January 29th, 2010 at 6:09 pm

    I think age limits are stupid for the most part. A 25 year old can make just as stupid decisions as a 16 year old. However, I do not think anyone should be tattooing anyone when they don't know what they are doing. Tattoos and piercings should be done by a professional with sterile equipment. What makes this story so repulsive to me is the uncleanliness. Sharing a tattoo needle is like sharing any other needle. If one of these kids had aids or hepatitis they could have manslaughter charges too add to the list probably.

36. aimee says:

    January 29th, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    two thumbs up Grant. You bring up a solid point about memories. There is far worse things that can be done to a child than a tattoo or piercing that are just as permanent. EVERYTHING you do as a parent leaves a permanent mark on your child. Everyone screaming and yelling that parents have no right to do something so "permanent" need to get a grip and realize that the examples a parent set and the love a parent shows has a FAR larger impact on a child's life than a little cross tattoo or missing foreskin or whatever the case. There is no one right way. The thing these parents did wrong was to use unclean equipment which is dangerous.

37. iComment says:

    February 1st, 2010 at 7:50 am

    me too but lets decide on a specific river

38. DANNY FOWLER says:

    February 8th, 2010 at 10:15 am

    Noone should ever make a life chose for someone else, know matter what age. It's hard enough when you think you're grown up, to make the day too day. Tattooing anyone under the abe of 18 yrs.old in most state is against the law, and so should be piercing..16 yr. old girl on the othe rhand are going to do it anyway so just cave in and take them to best Tattoo Shop you can find. After all, that is where body piercing is done the right and saftest way. do your homework first.

39. tonya says:

    April 2nd, 2010 at 1:08 am

    oh yea for the ppl who are complaining about the curcumscion of a baby boy, its better that theyhave it done bc they arent as prone to infections when they are older. read up on your information about it, and im sure half of these ppl who are talking crap, has done something to thier child also, maybe they didnt take care of it and something went wrong thats whytheyare now being assholes

40. tonya says:

    April 2nd, 2010 at 1:02 am

    i think most of you just need to chill out, yea its wrong to tattoo a kid, bc theyre so young and really dont know they just think its cool, but i agree with some posts saying, let the parents raise the children as they want, there are far worse things that are being done to children in other countries. as far as the ear peircing goes, i went with my ex bf to get his daughters ears done(wasnt my child) and she cried for like 1 minute and it was over with, once he picked her up she was fine, i know personally when i was 7 and my grandma took me to get mine done, i was scared to death of the needle, but wanted it done, i think its easier when they are babies bc the are not as scared. liek i said, there are far wrose things in other countries being done to children and babies then an ear pirce or tattoo, although they should have used proper equipment on them. or had it done professionally.

41. Ash says:

    June 6th, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    In my job I have to pierce childrens' ears. We start at age 4months (as long as they've had all their immunisations) with parent's permission. Have you ever seen a 4month old baby having their ears pierced? It is horrible, traumatic and distressing for child and piercer. And my job states that I am in no way allowed to voice my opinion or morally object to performing a specific piercing if the client meets all the criteria.
    Just because an ear piercing is not as permanant as a tattoo (it does leave scars and possibly keloids when healed though, so not totally invisible) doesn't mean it's acceptable.
    If you believe ear piercings on young children are fine, then why not belly button, nose, ear cartlidge, labret, eyebrow etc, they are just as "semi-permanant" and can be worn or removed at will, hurt about the same. Why are these things still illegal if ear piercings are OK?

    Here in the UK there is no age limit on piercing but it is 18 for tattooing. My company operates a policy of under 16s must have parents present for lobe piercings and we do not pierce the cartlidge of minors:

    "There is no legal age of consent for body piercing, and so it's legal for someone under the age of 18 to have a piercing as long as they have consented to it. Children under the age of 16 can't legally consent to a genital (or in the case of girls, nipple) piercing, as it's considered to be indecent assault. There are no plans to introduce an age of consent for body piercing in any areas other than the genitals, although some local authorities have introduced recommendations about the ages at which a person can have specific body piercing's.

    The Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 makes it illegal for anyone to tattoo you if you are under the age of 18 – although the offence is with the person who carries out the procedure, rather than the person who asks for the tattoo. New guidelines suggest that a tattoo artist should ask to see proof of age and record this before agreeing to tattoo you." http://www.beautytreatmentexpert.co.uk/law-relati...

    Personally I think the law should be 16 for lobe and upper cartlidge piercings and 18 for all other piercings and tattoos. It certainly shouldn't be done against the child's will, without their consent or before they are able to administer proper aftercare themselves.

    But that's just MHO.

42. fattymaddie says:

    June 22nd, 2010 at 2:20 pm

    In the video… someone commented that tattoos, piercings and circumcision were all on the same level of either being okay or being not okay… depends on your opinion.

43. Tonya says:

    June 25th, 2010 at 12:37 am

    I don't agree with tattooing kids, or piercing babies. Tattooing is one issue, it's permanent, adults only please. End of story. Piercing is another issue entirely, it's not usually permanent, but the consequences of a contaminated piercing can be. Hep C anyone?

    Unfortunately them most common method for piercing babies and children, the piercing gun, cannot be sterilized and puts them at risk for picking up all sorts of blood born pathogens. No, that alcohol swab just isn't as effective as most would like to believe. Then there's the issue of cross contamination, if the gun is disposable, you'd think it'd be safer, but you'd be wrong, because the little girls who work the Walmart of Clairs counter don't have a clue about cross contamination. Piercing guns create an arterial spray, contaminating everything within a good two feet of the piercing. If the piercer hasn't been trained how to properly clean up, and keep the piercing process clean, a disposable piercing gun is worthless.

    If you could find a doctor, who pierces with a sterile autoclaved, one time use piercing needle, eh, I still struggle with the issue of consent, but I think it's a MUCH safer alternative to gun piercing. Also, true trained professional piercers are very safe, however most will not pierce a child so young.

44. Tonya says:

    June 25th, 2010 at 12:56 am

    That's actually not true about circumcisions, it's part of a propaganda movement started by the Catholic Church, so that boys would feel less pleasure during masturbation, and in turn not do it as much.

    In a healthy baby boy, circumcision will not prevent infection. HPV is an issue of concern, but in reality, if your son has sex with an HPV positive girl, he's probably going to get it regardless of a foreskin. The data regarding circumcision and HPV is shotty at best anyway. Take a look at Europe, where circumcision is not the norm, do their males have higher instances of infections and HPV? Not hardly.

    And this body modification is perpetuated by hospitals, because they make a ton of money doing them.

45. Shelbey says:

    June 27th, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    It kind of is, your body rejects it and breaks it down so overtime that is why it will fade.

46. Jenn says:

    July 5th, 2010 at 9:46 am

    I just love how everybody keeps saying that tattoos are more permanent than piercings like its a well known fact; its not. Some tats fade (generally shoddy DIY tatts such as these), they can be removed by laser, dermabrasion, drunken regretful G&T sessions involving a bad tatt and a sharp knife etc.. Piercings may simply heal over, however more often than not they leave a scar. They are as likely to get infected if not looked after, and depending on the location, can have more serious complications and even death (see tongue piercings gone wrong). The only difference is that piercings HAVE become socially acceptable. Personally I don't think either should be inflicted on infants and there is a good reason for the age restrictions that exist in regards to underage tattoos. And don't get me started on circumcision.
    In regards to this particular case, Patty's main defense is that these are 'her kids';
    “I’m their mother. Shouldn’t I be able to decide if they get one?”
    Yet it it was the biological mother of one of these children that had her arrested.. of course we aren't aware of the details regarding the situation but presumably the parents have shared custody and should not be making decisions of this nature independently.

47. mike says:

    July 5th, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    i think the biggest part people are forgetting about tattooing at such a young age is : YOUR BODY IS STILL GROWING!!! why do you think even at 16 with parental consent though legal is not recomended and can be refused at any given point in time. i got my first tattoo at 17 they would not do it sooner because you grow until you are 18 to 21 years of age…. that's alot of time for the tattoo to stretch and painful to touch up or remove. that being said i beleive a child should be at least the age of consent…