Growing up, both of my uncles (on my mom’s side) had tattoos, but neither of my parents did. My parents never really liked them, and so they never got them. Well, I guess I should rephrase that. My dad never really liked them, and my mom was always curious, but stayed away. That changed about eight years ago. I was about 11 when my mom got her first tattoo. It was a sun holding a flower in one had, and it had my initials, and my brother and sister’s initials as well. Ironically, soon there after, my dad got his first tattoo. It was the footprints of my siblings and me as infants. Fast forward to the present, and my mom has five, my dad has two, and I have two, soon to be three at the end of June. I wanted to write about tattoos because I think that they’re still really misunderstood.

Every time I personally get a tattoo or think about getting one, I process what I’m choosing to permanently ink on my body for quite some time. This may not be the case for everyone, but every tattoo I have gotten thus far or will get means or will mean something.

For example, my first tattoo was of my dog, Augustus, who is photographed with me on my “About” page. Upon getting this tattoo, I had turned 18 just five days prior. It was not a spur of the moment, “I just turned 18 so let me get a tattoo” kind of tattoo. This tattoo was a birthday gift from my parents. It took about four hours to complete, and there was a lot of careful consideration and planning that went into it. It’s important to do research before choosing to get a tattoo.

My next tattoo was two tiny butterflies on my left shoulder, just below my collarbone. My best friend has the exact same one on her left shoulder. It was also her second tattoo. Here’s a photo of us right after we got them.

My best friend said, and I agree, that she gets tattoos because it’s a form of self expression. She gets them to have something to look back on when she’s older.

Everyone has the right to their own opinions, but I think that tattoos are beautiful, and they are great conversion starters! Let me know what you think about tattoos!