Fox In Flats | Tattoos for mums? | Navigating Motherhood in Style.

Tattoos for mums?

For the past 9 years I’ve been contemplating a tattoo….clearly I have issues with decision making.

I’m keen to cross this off my bucket list within the next 9 years, but am grappling with how cool it would really be to have one now that I’m a mother.

A number of celebrity mums have tattoos, which look gorgeous on them. That said, they also have stylists, personal chefs, soft lighting, and their own yachts….

Heidi Klum, arm tattoo

Should we know better?

It is one thing getting inked when you are in your early 20’s, but does this fall into the category of ‘should know better’ once you breed? Because, let’s face it, we are all ‘adults’ now (even if we sometimes blink and wonder ‘how did I get here?‘).

'Early adopter' with a thirst for ink.

And what sort of example will it set for our kids?

Will a trip to the beauty parlour to get their ears pierced, as a standard rite of passage, be replaced by a trip to the tattoo parlour to have their name written in Sanskrit?

For now, I’m still chicken.

To tide my thirst for ink, I’ll be buying random tattoo motif things, like these, that can go double duty for when I’m with the children:

Tote Bag $16.99 Amazon.com

Bandaids. $6.61 Amazon.com

And this one for the kids, just in case:

'Mommy has a tattoo' $16.95 for the book from Amazon.com

What do you think? Should mums with tatts know better? Is it still cool to get inked once your main haunt is the playground?

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Louise

I don’t get it and never have (probably never will), however I don’t have anything against tats. Maybe something discreet on your bottom would be a good start? Having said that I was recently at a work function for my partner and 80% of the people there were women aged 18 to 25 and I think about 90% of them had massive tattoos across the backs, on their arms or shoulders. So, in 10 years or so I think most mums will have tattoos. Maybe that’s a Gen Y thing? L x
http://FatPaddler.com Fat Paddler

Don’t do it, you WILL regret it at some point. Why dirty up the otherwise wonderful female form?? I know I certainly question my earlier decision to get “a few”…
Nicky

Nothing wrong with being a mother and having a tattoo. If you’ve been thinking about getting one for 9 years, and you haven’t changed your mind about wanting one, go for it! Just choose wisely! xx
Jane

Depends – personally no for me – except I am going to have to have some done – something I thought I wouldn’t do – but not just yet – if you get my gist. I would just be careful with what you choose and where it is!!
Sam

still a leading cause of infectus disease honey… still today!
Jodie

I say YES is the answer …
Amanda

What are you thinking. What will it look like when you are 70?
Belinda

xxooxox ♥ what do you want?? ) ♥
Andy

Yep
AJ

I know exactly how you feel… it took me 12 years to work up the courage to get a belly piercing (I hate needles)…I ended up downing a bottle of wine at Friday night drinks and going straight to the belly piercer on my way to the train station… still can’t believe I managed to go through with it… but after almost 3 years with it, I’m happy – it’s a whole new world of jewellry!!!
I too contemplated a tattoo for a long time, but now it seems that everybody has one… and I do have to wonder what it would look like in another 10-20 years… faded, droopy and looking more like abstract art or code than the beautiful piece it used to be… I decided that at least with a piercing, if it got to look really bad, you can at least take it out!
- Belinda
  
  I am with AJ on this debate!!
http://rachelgilmannyc.blogspot.com rachel gilman

if your tattoo is something that means a lot to you and is well executed, i promise you won’t regret it! just do your research on local tattoo artists. many have websites and you should be able to walk in and see portfolios of their work at their shops and they should be friendly and answer your questions in a professional way.
- Kristen W
  
  Your totally right!
http://rachelgilmannyc.blogspot.com rachel gilman

(i think the experience is important as well)
Kristen W

My husband and uncle are tattooers they are experienced and sterile! The people that get infections either don’t take care of their tattoo then its healing or get one in someones garage. Find a qualified artist and ask questions. I have tattoos before marriage and kids and i don’t regret them at all.
Go with your gut and it what you think is beautiful! All my tattoos remind me of different times in my life. My husband is covered from head to toe, and he is a great husband and father! People that judge you for having tattoos are idiots!
http://www.foxinflats.com.au FoxInFlats

ok…so I WAS considering my tattoo for my inner wrist, but…could it resemble a left over night club stamp, circa 2002?
- Princess Logical
  
  I have my sons’ names on my inner wrist. I figure, if need be I can wear long sleeves or a chunky watch and no-one will know the difference. If it makes you happy, do it!
Krystal

Interesting. I was always thinking about getting a tatoo to symbolise my children… however they told me you cannot donate blood for many years after?? kind of turned me off
- Tattoomummy
  
  It’s only one year and the reasoning behind it is completely ridiculous and frustrates me constantly, but anyway…
http://www.foxinflats.com.au FoxInFlats

I like the idea of a tattoo to symbolise my children.
Only I think my c-section scars are pretty righteous markings…
Kelly

Funny I stumble upon this topic as my plastic surgeon asked me on friday would I ever get one? I said I was unsure. He said other than cosmetic tattooing he was dead against it. He is seeing a huge rise in those that regret it. I don’t have an opinion either way… and I am really too chicken.
- Debree420
  
  What the? A plastic surgeon who is against tattoos because people might regret it??? Hypocrite much? Regardless of what he would like to think, both fall into the same category of body modification
Juliet

I would love to get a tattoo but I’m not sure. Have been thinking about it for a while. My partner has 3 now.
Kim

I definately want to get a tattoo on my left breast out of sight, but my husband is not so keen, I am on the fence on this one still.
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Sarah

It’s a tricky one. I got a tattoo about 13 years ago. Quite small and on my hip so it’s fairly private. But when the kids ask me about it I say just a drawing as I’m not sure I want them broadcasting I have it. I don’t regret it (because I don’t even think about it anymore) but if I had my time over I wouldn’t get it done again. Perhaps get a temporary tattoo made and try it out for a while.
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Louise

Addition to my previous comment…Spent a week at the Gold Coast recently. Suggest you do this to completely put you off EVER having a tattoo. We were in the minority because we did not have any. Walking around at Wet’n'Wild in swimmers is very revealing! Tacky is the word that best describes it.
jessicamcginty

I have a lot of tattoos. Probably about 20 individual ones, some of which have been worked in to be part of bigger pieces.
I have spent many hours under the needle prior to having children and I don’t see any reason that they should stop me.
Having tattoos in no way inhibits my ability to parent and i wouldn’t expect anyone of our generation to make those assumptions. The wonderful about my tattoos is they are also a great filter for people not worth the time. If someone IS going to make those assumptions about me because I have tattoos, I don’t need them in my life.
Just because I have tattoos does not mean that my son or my daughter will be allowed to get them at a young age. IF they chose to have them, they will wait until they are 18, just like I did.
Everything I have on my body is a piece of art that I have either drawn or means something to me. I have the work of some of my best friends on me. I don’t see how such a great tribute to art could be in any way detrimental to a child growing up. (@tattoomummy on twitter & blogger)
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  Hi Jessica, thankyou so much for sharing your perspective.
  I totally concur that it is unfair of people to make judgments about you based on the way you look, but unfortunately that is human nature. I also agree that it cannot possibly inhibit your ability to parent.
  Lucky you to have an inbuilt BS filter! Might get a tattoo just for that purpose alone
  Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful response.
  A
  - Tattoomummy
    
    if you’re wondering where to get it to minimise the pain, thighs and upper arm, back and anywhere that is “meaty” or gets a decent amount of exposure to the elements didn’t hurt as much
    Feet, ribs, hip bones have hurt the most.
    Xx
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1123964755 Sarah van Delft

I don’t have a problem with tattoos after having children. I have 2 and plan to get more and I have 4 of them. But then I see tattoos as art.
I cannot hide tattoos from my children, even if I didn’t have any, my parents have them, their dads parents have them, their uncles and aunties have them.
My children will not be allowed tattoos until they are 18, if they want them at all.
I think, if it’s what you are into then there are no problems with it. That is what makes the world so exciting, the differences in everyone and their choices.
Some people think it’s tacky and other’s think it’s cool.
It’s no one’s decision to make but yours
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  OMG totally agree.
  One of my favourite songs is ‘If everybody looked the same’ by Groove Armada. http://youtu.be/OOI-zEwjdEQ …we’d get tired of looking at each other…And you are so right: “some people think it’s tacky and other’s think it’ is cool.”Kinda like I always remind myself: “Noone ever thinks they are a bogan, but someone, somewhere thinks I’m a Major Bogan” Keeping it real.
http://twitter.com/mums_word Maria Tedeschi

I have 2. One I got when I was 22 and single on my left hip (behind) and the other I got after I had my first. The second one is over my appendix. It’s a japanese symbol which says “One of a pair” my husband has an identical one. Because you know, wedding rings and children weren’t enough of a bond for us;-)

Surprisingly the japanese symbol survived 3 more pregnancies and have no stretch marks on my stomach.I went to Illustrated Man on Elizabeth Street Sydney cause that’s where all the rocks stars go.Did it hurt, yes it stings like a bitch. Do I regret either of them? Not a chance.My kids see our tattoos and I joke that as a consequence they probably won’t get one because we do.I did also have a navel piercing before I was even pregnant the first time. It survived through 2 pregnancies but about the 36 week mark of my 3rd pregnancy it came out and never went back in.Love & stuffMrs M
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  Thanks for sharing this Maria – love the identical tattoos!
  Illustrated Man sounds cool. I wanna be a rock star too…!
  Did you take pain killers??
Pene

This one always manages to stir up the worms doesn’t it! At the end of the day I think it is like anything important – take the time to think about it. It’s a bit like having kids – you either want them or you don’t.. once you have decided you WANT them you know they are going to be there for a LOOOOONG time… Tattoo’s are a bit like this except they will never ‘leave home’!! I was ten (yep your heard right – ten) when I first decided I wanted a tattoo – it was 1979 and I saw a woman with a butterfly on her left shoulder. I said then and there “when I grow up I am going to have a butterfly tattoo”. At 39 the time was right. I had mine on my lower back where it can be hidden away, and it actually represents a huge life decision (health wise) to free myself of a cancer that was hovering over me. It marks my body and it marks a time in my life – and I love it.
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  Pene, that is so awesome! And great advice. Thankyou xxxx
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1388854022 Mary Sherwood

I have three, all inked prior to children, but after the age of 30. My children have each been through stages of fascination about ‘mummy’s tatts’ and I have honestly answered their questions…’does it hurt’, ‘why won’t it wash off’… I tell them if they want one/some when they are big that is ok, BUT never to rush into it and wait, think, wait some more and like me, probably only after years of thinking and waiting. I also tell them that each of my tattoos have a meaning and are special to me. Never, ever rush into getting ink, ‘just because’. I have learnt that after many years of ‘living with my tatts’ that yes, people judge, but your real friends and family know the real you and others really aren’t worth the bother!

I too have had all my tattoos done at The Illustrated Man on Elizabeth St., Sydney and yes it hurt like nothing else (but after having endured 2 births, the pain is insignificant). I also had my belly button pierced there (during a lunch hour I might add) but like Maria it had to come out during my first pregnancy and has never gone back in – but not to say that I haven’t toyed with the idea of it going back in!

My final advice is that tattoos are addictive, pain aside, you will probably go back for more! With my eldest now 11-teen and my youngest 7, I am again contemplating ‘fresh ink’.

After 9 years of thought Fox, go ahead…too much thinking is a bad thing Promise you won’t regret it for a second…at least after the pain goes xo
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  Thanks Mary,
  I had kindof parked it since I wrote this article originally, and then on the weekend, out of the blue I knew what I wanted. Really excited by it now!
  x
Bevrandall

Hey Andrea,

I’ve been thinking about getting another tattoo and replacing my original tattoo on my ankle. I do like tattoos if they are discreet. I don’t like my first tattoo since I got it during a rebellious phase in my life and therefore don’t really like what it represents. That is why I want to remove it and get something more meaningful to me now. I also grapple with what effect this will have on my boys since the last thing I want is for them to come home at 14 covered in tattoos!
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  mmm, Bev, will you get it in the same spot? And do you know what you’ll do now? And…just h0w naughty were you x
Detachable Princess

This is my only tatt so far – but in a month’s time there will be another one!

This one is LittleDude’s name, in Chinese characters. You know how each character represents an actual word, as well as being a sound? Well, LittleDude’s characters say Strength Son Mother, and when I get AJ’s they will say I Love Sincerely. I can’t think of two better reasons!
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  That’s cool. Where will you get the other one?
  - Detachable Princess
    
    Right underneath – so, further up my arm towards the elbow. Luckily I only want 2 children, otherwise my arm would fill up pretty quickly!
    - http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
      
      ba ha ha!
Donna mac

whatever floats your boat I say – but just some food for thought – they do look cool on rock stars and celebrity mums – but you aren’t one of those – yet!!! One other suggestion – spend a day in summer walking around a Westfield shopping centre somewhere other than Bondi Junction – and have a really good look around. Come to the Central Coast – if that doesn’t turn you off then nothing will and I say go for it!
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  Donna,
  I laughed out loud when I read this, and for about 5 minutes.
  
  Totally hearing you…
  
  But for the record, I have not been in WBJ for years – that said, I did spend many, many hours there with the pram, and discovered that it’s baby change room has the BEST VIEWS in Sydney. Always thought it would be a great location for a New Years Eve Party.
  
  And you’re right about the coast. Was in Nelson Bay all weekend, but even still I’m in! And the parlor there has won loads of awards. It even gave Mr Fox his tattoo a couple of years ago. Colours of the Bay… ?
  
  xx
http://katesinmelbourne.blogspot.com Kate Piasecka

So have you got one yet?? It’s been a few months since the last comment!

I say go for it. I have four. My surname on my wrist (because there are no other Kate Piasecka’s in Australia), a heart on my other wrist (for my friend who died from heard failure), a lightning bolt on my right foot (makes me go faster) and SEVEN diamonds down my spine (one for each member of my immediate family).

Who cares what it looks like when you’re 70? Live a little.

The way I see it, I won’t be rocking around with my wrinkly back out when I’m 70.

Or will I?
- http://twitter.com/FoxInFlats Andrea
  
  Ugh, no I havnt! Now totally know what I want, but can’t decide where to have it. Down the spine sounds cool. LOVE the sound of yours!
  Oh, and I don’t care about this when I’m 70…I’d be STOKED to live to 70! xxx
http://www.themummyautobiography.com Miss Pink

I have 4 tattoo’s and I am currently lining my 5th up.
Obviously I feel indifferent to having a tattoo just because your a mum. I had 2 before becoming a mother, and 2 since. The 2 since have been my kids names.
My rule with tattoo’s is to get them somewhere I can cover up if need be, however in this day and age I am finding that it doesn’t really matter if you can see them. Unless you’re becoming a nun I suppose.
I am another Illustrated Man customer who was very impressed with my tattooist (his name was Elliot). He won’t do what I want for my 5th, so I am going to have to find someone else, otherwise I’d be back there.