You turned eighteen and did what you had been threatening to do for years; you went and got a tattoo. You absolutely love the design that you’ve chosen to get but you’re a little hesitant about how your parents are going to react.

Here are some of the most common reasons that parents dislike tattoos and what you can do to counteract them and gain your parents’ approval:

• They’re afraid you’ll be negatively stereotyped. Put together a list of respected people that you know about who have tattoos.
• They think you’ll change your mind. Outline the reasons that you felt that this tattoo was important to you. For example, you can say that cross tattoos represent your religious faith which you hope will last forever. Alternatively, you could do some research into tattoo removal to let them know what your options are if you do change your mind.
• They’re afraid that you’re growing up too fast. This is the real problem for most parents; they don’t want to admit that you’re already old enough to make these decisions on your own. Reassure them that in some ways you’ll always be their little girl and you may win them over.

In the end, your parents will come to tolerate your tattoo (although it’ll take a lot longer if you’ve got huge skull tattoos as opposed to small heart tattoos). They may even like it. But even if they don’t, you’re the only one who really has to live with it so just hang in there until it all blows over.

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