Life
Mom Changes Tattoo To Support Transgender Son, & 5 Times Parents Used Tattoos To Love The Sh*t Out Of Their Kids
Serious question: Is there any better way to express your love than getting a tattoo of someone's name or face? It may sound like I'm joking, but I'm actually pretty serious. Whether you choose to go with a "Winona Forever" model or perhaps the classic red heart with "Mom" inside, or perhaps you remain ink-fee but regularly ask your partner to get a tattoo for you (*cough*guilty*cough*), permanent ink can be a powerful means of expression. So far, no one in my life has gotten any tattoos in honor of me (that I know of), but that doesn't mean I don't request it on a regular basis. Yes, I'm aware that I have issues, and no, I don't have any chill.
However, there are plenty of parents who are way cooler than I am, who are far less afraid of pain, and who have stepped up to the plate to support their kiddos with tattoos of their own. For example, the Peace family of Canada has brought it to a new level of awesome with mom Lindsay's recent update to an existing tattoo she had. In it, her transgender son Ace was originally depicted as a pig-tailed little girl, in accordance with the gender he was assigned at birth. With the help of Ace's dad, tattoo artist Steve Pierce, the image was updated to show Ace in blue, sans pigtails, and with a subtle slingshot tucked into his t-shirt. It's a powerful move to display this kind of unconditional support, in addition to being a thoroughly impressive tattoo modification. (You can't even tell they changed it!)
While the Peace family's situation may feel a bit unique, it's actually not that unusual for parents to love on their kids in the form of tattoos. Here's a look at some other recent parental ink to make it to the internet:
Ears To This Mom
Meet Stacey Barnard, who has an image of her daughter's hearing aid tattooed behind her own ear. I'm trying to think of something clever to say, and really, I'm distracted by my overwhelming love for this.
The Legs Have It
I want to reach through my screen and hug every member of this awesome family.
When Neither Of You Are Afraid of Needles
A father lets his daughter hold the needle and do the inking herself. Probably not for everyone, but the end result is actually pretty stinking cute.
Fostering Creativity In A Big Way
For those who don't want their child near them with a sharp object, you have the option of letting a pro tattoo artist work their magic with your kiddos' artwork, like this committed dad. So far, the best method of preservation I've come up with are laminating and framing, so I find this method to be beyond awesome.
Classic AND Cute
Ah, yes. If there was perhaps a list of parent tattoo ideas that everyone could do, the footprint would be high up there, probably just after the child's name. It's such a lovely and simple concept that deserves a shout-out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to figure out how many of these I should copy for my own kid.
Image: Annie Spratt/Unsplash
