“Tattoo You” 11 Year Old Tattooed
I’ve always had a special place in my heart for them ever since, but not to the point where I would ever get a tattoo, let alone give one to my 11-year old child. Now, normally, I am a “live and let live” kind of gal. I have certainly made my fair share of mistakes raising my children and by no means do I consider myself an expert on child-rearing. I also acknowledge that I run the risk of being labeled a “santictimommy” from one of my previous blogs, but I cannot contain myself. Just recently, a mother in North Carolina tattooed her 11 year old daughter–I think even Mick Jagger would have an issue with this!
Now, I am cool if you want to brand yourself; that is your personal choice. However, when a child states they want a tattoo, you don’t break out the ink and needle and give her one! Odessa Clay, the mom in question, stated in her own defense that she did not know that it was illegal to tattoo a person under 18. Come on, she used clean instruments and numbed her daughter’s arm; she needs to obey laws, too? Even if she was ignorant about the law, why would anyone expect that she would use sound judgment where her child was concerned? To steal another line from the Rolling Stones, I think her kid needs an “emotional rescue”.
As a mom, I have to wonder, did Ms. Clay stop to think about how this tattoo might morph as her daughter grew up? Did she ever contemplate why all the other elementary school kids weren’t sporting colorful ink? Did this mom never hear of the temporary tattoos that you find in Cracker Jack boxes? Trust me, it is exponentially more fun for a kid to lick her hand, stick a colorful stamp on her skin and have it slowly fade away than it is to stick a needle full of ink into her arm.
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Evidently, Ms. Clay feels it was her ex-in laws that turned her in to the police for her permanent artwork. This comes as a surprise to me, considering she did not even know that tattooing a minor is illegal in North Carolina (and common sense everywhere else). Maybe they turned her in for being stupid; wouldn’t that be awesome if that were a crime?
So now, this young girl has a small outline of a heart on her upper arm. I’m sure she is the baddest chick in sixth grade–just what parents aspire for their child to be. What I ponder is how this mom intends to say “no” when this girl reaches her teens and wants more than just a tattoo. What if the kid wants to shoot some heroin–will mom kowtow to this request as well? Let’s face it, we know she’s good with a needle…
