|
Sharing Your Concerns as the Popularity of Body Art Increases Among Kids
My son first started asking about tattoos at age seven-as in "Mom, how old do I have to be when I can get one?" I wasn't worried. At the time, he was also asking about how old he had to be to drive, own a home, get married, and consume caffeinated drinks.
At age nine, my son is still asking about tattoos, probably because someone at school has a sibling or a parent with one. He's also asking about having a cellphone, and I know that question is directly related to his proximity to adolescents and children he knows who have their own.
I would like to think I don't have a bias against tattoos or piercings. I see a lot of body art that I admire. I just don't think I would feel comfortable walking into a job interview when my "best foot forward" features a dragon slithering up my ankle, or when shaking hands at my Rotary Club meeting might show off the butterfly on my wrist.
I try to share this concern with my sons: wait until you know what you want your body to say about you before making big changes to it. I wouldn't likely want to wear something today that I thought was absolutely smashing at 18, just as my older son now shuns the Transformers t-shirt that he thought was the height of cool just last spring. How could I feel confident about such a permanent statement as a tattoo?
Nationwide, the popularity of body art is on the rise, and with a progressively younger audience. A study conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology in 2006 showed that of those adults with tattoos, 16 percent had their first tattoo and 30 percent had their first piercing (other than traditionally pierced ears) prior to the age of 18.
Legally, a minor under the age of 18 in Idaho can get a tattoo or body piercing as young as age 14, with written parental consent and in the presence of said parent or guardian. Traditional ear piercing or medical piercing is exempt from this regulation.
There are dangers associated with tattooing and piercing. While tattoo parlors are legally required in Idaho to maintain the same cleanliness and hygiene standards as barber shops and hair salons, there is no regulatory body charged with conducting inspections to ensure that such standards are maintained. While many tattoo professionals pride themselves on their cleanliness and professional standards, unhygienic tattooing or piercing could lead to the transfer of blood-borne diseases like hepatitis or HIV infection. Improper maintenance of the tattooing or piercing site could lead to infection and scarring.
I am also concerned that my child might make a rash decision in his adolescent years that might limit his choices later on. I'm thinking specifically about professional choices. I think there's a reason I rarely see a banker or accountant or doctor with visible tattoos or facial piercings. Anecdotal evidence tells me that cultural acceptance of body art has yet to cross certain professional boundaries in a significant way. Until my children's careers in professional sports or as pop stars materialize, I think that putting off decisions about permanent body art might prove helpful to their ability to choose from a broader range of futures.
So how exactly should I answer my son, and how direct should I be with him when he asks about body art?
Myrna L. Armstrong, Ed.D., R.N., FAAN, a professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, has been studying popular attitudes toward and experiences with tattooing and body art for more than 20 years. She says one of the worst things a parent can do in response to the question about tattooing is put her foot down.
By age 8, Armstrong says parents should begin talking to their child about body art. What is it and how does it happen? What does it feel like and what are some of the complications? How might one make a decision about what design would be appropriate over a lifetime?
Tattooing is an art that dates back more than 5,000 years, and among different cultures can have religious, cultural, or familial significance. A tattoo is made by piercing the skin with a needle and injecting ink into the dermis, or layer of skin underlying the epidermis. Professionals may use a needle gun to inject ink up to an eighth of an inch deep. People who have tattoos experience various degrees of pain, depending upon their tolerance level. While a tattoo is permanent without expensive and often painful medical treatment, its appearance can change over time as the ink spreads and the skin stretches.
Tattoos can be removed. One of the least invasive procedures for tattoo removal involves the use of a medical laser to focus an intense beam of light to break up the ink into tiny pieces that dissipate. This expensive procedure may take place more than a dozen times, depending upon the size of the tattoo, over the course of a few weeks. It might feel much like the process of getting the tattoo. Some colors are more difficult to remove than others.
Piercings can be of the nose, mouth, lip, eyebrow, the cartilage of the ear, the belly, or almost anywhere one can pinch a flap of skin, including the genitals. Armstrong says that medically, body piercing can be problematic because of the risk of infection, permanent damage, and deformity. With a pierced tongue, for example, Armstrong says there is the "wrecking ball" syndrome, as the tongue hits and can damage teeth and gums frequently during eating or talking. Piercings can be removed, of course, but popular piercing methods can leave skin permanently stretched or scarred.
By age 12, Armstrong encourages parents to take their child to an actual tattoo studio. "Have the tattoo artist talk to your child about what it is that he does and how," she says. "Have your child talk to people who have tattoos-teenagers and older people," about their experience with tattoos and how they feel about them now.
While this sort of education might help your child make an informed decision about body art later, Armstrong cautions parents against believing that they will have helped them decide against body art altogether.
"From our research, parental input doesn't mean much," Armstrong says. "When it comes to body art, there is a lot of peer support for it."
Certainly the popularity of tattoos and body piercing is evident among celebrities and athletes-and your child is bound to see them on a regular basis if they watch TV or venture out in public once in a while, but can you expect that your babysitter might have a tattoo? Armstrong's research suggests you might.
Armstrong's studies show that tattooing has become more mainstream among youth and adults. Rather than indicating a propensity for risk-taking behavior, one study she conducted among teens with tattoos showed that 60 percent were A and B level students. Among the adults who get tattoos, more and more are middle class professionals.
While she says there are officially no Gallup polls on the subject, Armstrong estimates about 18-20 percent of teens ages 15-18 have tattoos. An estimated 30-40 percent of teens have piercings other than the traditional earlobe piercing.
We live in an environment where body art is becoming increasingly popular. Armstrong advises that if you, as a parent, aren't going to give your teen permission and supervise the tattooing or piercing process before the age of 18, it's best to provide education that helps them make an informed decision as a young adult.
Resources for talking to your kids about tattoos and body art:
Beth Markley is a freelance writer who prefers the rub-on tattoos she finds in candy boxes and the clip-on earrings her kids buy her from the dollar store to anything that has to do with needles. She and her husband and two boys live in Boise.
|
