Tattoo Mama

So, the other day I was standing in a Starbucks line behind a pregnant mom with two toddlers in her cart. She got Frappacinos for all three of them, but that's not the point. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had a tattoo on the back of her neck... some word in an elegant cursive font. As she moved away and I stepped closer to the cashier, I could read her tattoo:

Sinful

Funny that when I went to Google an image for this entry, the tattoo on the back of the neck was also labeled something like "tasteful tattoos for girls" who "want to be modest".

It wasn't so modest for me. Now I wonder even more why a mother of young kids would get such a tat when her little back seat riders will one day all to soon will be able to read? What will she say? What will these older sibs tell their new brother or sister about what it means?

Before anyone snarks at me, I am the first to admit that I over-zealously glued pages shut, used white-out to change "objectionable" words in books and read, saw or guarded every single thing before my kids saw it. And, as I tell parents now... I laugh at my extreme concern but still appreciate my intention.

That being said, I just wonder why one would go to the expense (and pain) to have that particular word embedded in their skin forever? And, sorry... it's not that modest because I saw it and I wasn't even looking.

Am I anti-tattoos? I don't think I would get one, but I semi-understand. I just try to avoid all unnecessary pain. My adult daughter designed a beautiful one for her back shoulder. It has about 15 layers of significance, so she gets a pass. Where we live, I notice a lot of grandmothers with something small on their ankles. The ones I really wince at are on the people that get something on their stomachs or chests. As they age, that little worm is gonna droop into a snake!

What I am getting at is that it seems that people who choose to get one or one hundred tattoos ascribe a meaning and a plan for their ink. It is well thought out and an important investment.

I hope this young mother's last name was "Sinful" and that I am wrong for my reaction that anyone would choose a word that has such heavy connotations to wear on a daily basis and have to explain to her babies.

Parents have so much to explain anyway, I am not a fan of adding to our challenges.