Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
We have all probably heard the tales of people hiding their tattoos from their parents, usually because they know that their parents won’t agree with this kind of body decoration and they simply just don’t want to hear lectures about it. Yet, some people decide to risk showing tattoos to their folks, and some parents decide to react to it in a different way than expected.
Like in today’s story, a 19-year-old got a tattoo, which seemed meaningless to a parent of his. This parent decided to teach him a lesson by getting tatted themselves. However, let’s just say that, in the end, the person who learned a lesson wasn’t the son.
More info: Reddit
How should a parent react to a seemingly meaningless tattoo that their child gets?
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
The author doesn’t like that tattoos have become mainstream and people are apparently getting plenty of tattoos that have no deeper meanings
Image credits: Fidellio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/Psychological-Fix350
So, when their son got a tribal armband tattoo, which, in the author’s eyes, had no meaning, they got the same one tatted to make the son ashamed
Probably everyone knows that a tattoo is a permanent or temporary mark made by inserting a pigment through skin ruptures. Well, to know what it is is not the same as being a fan of them. And today’s OP is one of those people who aren’t a fan. They explain that it is because they are seemingly everywhere now, in comparison to when they were a child and tattoos were a sign of rebelliousness.
Well, the OP isn’t that far off by saying that. Back in the 20th century, tattoos were associated with non-conformity, and they were usually seen on individuals who were deemed as outsiders or members of certain subcultures. These groups got tattoos as a form of self-expression to differentiate themselves from the mainstream.
Yet, this didn’t stop tattoos from slowly integrating themselves into fashion and popular culture. It was mainly due to the fact that various celebrities started getting them, making tattooed bodies more prevalent in the media.
And with the rise of tattoo popularity, more people started getting them without real meanings, just for fun or as a way to decorate their bodies, which the OP really doesn’t like. So, when their son expressed a wish to get a tattoo, they warned him to get a meaningful one. And that if he didn’t, they would get a copy of his tattoo for themselves as a lesson.
The son didn’t take their parent’s threat seriously, and they went on and got a tribal armband tattoo. This kind of design, as the name suggests, wraps around a person’s arm like a band. There are plenty of types of tribal tattoos, like Polynesian, Maori tribal, and music tribal, to mention a few.
Image credits: Budgeron Bach (not the actual photo)
Even though today’s original poster assumed that his son’s tribal armband tattoo didn’t really have any deep meaning, it doesn’t mean that all of these tattoos are meaningless. For example, tribal armbands, for some, can mean a personal connection to their Indigenous roots. Solid armbands can represent the loss of a loved one. At the same time, it can also simply be a tattoo that is nice enough for a person to get as a decoration for their body and doesn’t carry any serious sentiment.
From the information that we’re given in the Reddit post, we can assume that the son got the tattoo because it looked cool to him. But what we know for sure is that this type of reasoning seemed meaningless to the OP. So, they kept their promise and got the same tattoo as their son. Now, the 19-year-old isn’t as excited to show off his body art, which made him call his parent a jerk.
This prompted the parent to write a post on Reddit to ask if they actually are the jerk for doing it. And what the internet users decided was that, yes, they were a jerk. They pointed out that getting a tattoo just to prove a point about meaningless tattoos was not only stupid but a contradicting lesson as well.
Well, let’s just say that if the OP wanted consolation from netizens, they didn’t get it. But maybe while trying to teach their son a lesson, they ended up learning a lesson on what it’s like to be viewed as a jerk not only by your child but by the internet as well. And maybe they won’t react this harshly to the son’s next tattoo if he ever decides to get another one.
This made the son call their parent a jerk, and people online fully agreed with this sentiment
Image credits: Hirsh Philippe (not the actual photo)
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
What do you think ?
KatSaidWhat 5 months ago
Son's next move - get some really godawful temporary tattoo, don't tell him it's temp, wait for dad to get one, scrub off.
Ms.GB 5 months ago
Exactly. Why does op think people go to museums? Art means something to people.
Load More Replies...
Seedy Vine 5 months ago
Getting matching tattoos is kind of meant to be a bonding experience. This could've gone a much better way.
Alexander Brooks 5 months ago
That’s what I was thinking. Dad could have made this a fun thing, and I personally would brag about having matching tats with my parents. Instead he had to be shady about it.
Load More Replies... Ms.GB 5 months ago (edited)
Isn't getting a tattoo because you appreciate the art more meaningful than copying a tattoo you don't even like just to be an a*****e to your son? Rules for thee but not for me? Enjoy your crappy tattoo that doesn't mean anything except you're a judgemental douche and a tattoo snob, this isn't the win you think it is.
GlitterPanda 5 months ago
I've got several tattoos, some are meaningful and some are there because I wanted them. It's the son's skin, sounds like the son's money too, therefore it is solely his choice.
The Doom Song 5 months ago
Yep. I've got a bunch myself. Some are "cool" and a couple are "what the hell was I thinking" No regrets
Load More Replies...
Diego 5 months ago
If I were the son, I would make sure to point out "My dad loved my tattoo so much he wanted the same one as me ! He said it's so we could show our bond as father and son." Make it awkward as hell for him.
Rowboat 5 months ago
With an attitude like this I can almost garauntee he's got some questionable thoughts about LGBTQ+ people so I'd start saying I got in memory of a gay friend and watch dad crumble as he realises he's got something that supports a thing he hates. This may also work with rival sports teams if your dad is passionate about that
Load More Replies...
Pandroid Rebellion 5 months ago
YTA. For so many reasons. Yucking someone else's esthetic yum. Being judgy based off of an arbitrary set of moving rules. Deciding because something is ubiquitous that it has no value. Trying to force your taste on another person and when that didn't work ruining it for him. Actually thinking other people should agree with all your bad behavior. Did I forget anything?
Joe Publique 5 months ago
Don't get a meaningless tattoo, says the guy who got a meaningless tattoo. What a d***. Feel sorry for his son.
Ash 5 months ago
Ugh this parent. Based on this pattern, their kid is going to be cutting contact within five years....
Anonymous 5 months ago
This parent is going to write a letter to their favorite newspaper columnist asking why their son stopped talking to them.
Sweet T 5 months ago
You assume their relationship is rocky based off this one post!!! If they had a bad relationship then the son would have went behind the dad's back!!!
Load More Replies...
adobe blue 5 months ago
What a large tattoo. It was probably expensive and when your point is made what then. The whole lesson you were trying to teach your son is suspect so why didn't you get a nice fake tattoo to make your point? Then you could remove it and get busy on other ways to alienate him. Now you have a tattoo you consider ugly?/pointless/trite and removing is going to leave perm. scarring.
PixieVonBehr 5 months ago
His son is an adult who is perfectly capable of making poor decisions and dealing with the consequences by himself.
kat richards 5 months ago (edited)
Never wanted a tattoo, never gotten one, can't say I won't ever get one ..but it's highly unlikely. My sister and both her kids have them and most of her grandkids except the 11 year old. I don't see the need for them. This dad is clearly unhinged. To get a spite tattoo to prove to the son that he shouldn't get one without a deep meaning?? That's methed up.
Craig Reynolds 5 months ago
I'm guessing he is a single dad since there was no mention of his wife saying he is an AH for what he did. He is probably single because he was a controlling AH towards his son's mom and any other women he was ever in a relationship with.
_-DungeonKeeper-_ 5 months ago (edited)
"DoNt GeT mEaNiNgLeSs TaTtOoS" *proceeds to get meaningless tattoo*
Fox with a Dragon Tattoo 5 months ago
I was really curious if anyone would defend this idiot and what ways they would mock him. The replies did not disappoint
notlikeyou1971 5 months ago
This parent is going to have to have a lot of disposable income to copy the cover up tattoo the son gets. Then the next one and so on. The son is an individual. He has his own beliefs,ideas, style etc. He doesn't have to be a carbon copy of his parents or share their beliefs. I am a perfect example of this. If the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, I came from a completely different orchard. We are complete opposites in every single way. We have been since I was a kid. I always thought I was sent home with the wrong family because we share so little in common and don't look alike but I am not adopted. Guess I got the recessive genes. In some ways I am glad. I have a ton of tattoos by the way. They make me happy and a lot mean things to me. I believe as long as you're doing what you need to do and not breaking the law or hurting others ppl should mind their business and let you live your life.
Yosser Gordon 5 months ago
write "c**t" on your forehead with a sharpie, tell dad its a tattoo ,then wait!
Mr. Jones 5 months ago
What a d**k. And who cares if you don't like tattoos? Certainly not those of us with tattoos. And now you have a stupid tribal tattoo you got just to spite your son. I hope your tattoo fades because I can promise you that you don't realize that tattoos take a little bit of maintenance.
Steve Hall 5 months ago
Tattoos are a matter of choice but there will always be people who think they are ugly. People who do not have a tattoo will always judge people who do.
Jaya 5 months ago
People who don't have tattoos don't necessarily judge people with tattoos. Plenty of people don't have tattoos themselves but don't mind them, or even like them but have reasons not to get any themselves.
Load More Replies...
Kayla Hewey 5 months ago
Or maybe he didn't want to tell you the meaning having ink on your skin doesn't mean you are obligated to disclose its possibly very personal backstory.
Josh Gilland 5 months ago
Poor parenting all around. Didn't teach him finical literacy, only idiots spend money on s**t just "to be cool". Didn't teach him respect for himself or others. Getting tattoos that are significant in other cultures just to seem to have an edge makes his kid and now him look like massive tools. To me you just showed the world you're an idiot and you raised an idiot.
Karen Bird 5 months ago
The parent is an idiot and this will just fester resentment with his son! Jeez and I'm sure he wanted to be seen as some kind of hero for that stupid move 🙄
Saffron Azrael 5 months ago
Unless you get a specific type of tribal, say the type Dwayne Jonhson has, than yes it can be considered appropriating a culture but mostly tribal tattoos are washed down and have no link to any real culture. They end up being faux tribal if that makes sense.
Load More Replies...
AngelWingsYT 5 months ago
YTA: he didnt get the tat to look cool, he got it because the TAT looked cool. So you broke your own "rule" (which is stupid n pointless reguardless). There is a difference in getting a tat to make yourself look cool vs getting a tat cause it looks cool. EX. To me a mlp:fim tat would look cool, but it deff wont make ME look cool (outside the fandom). I coild get those Chinese word(s) tat cause ig thats whats cool but i domt PERSONALLY think its cool.
Marie BellaDonna 5 months ago
I have 20 tattoos. Some of them were more "for fun" than others, but all of them have a meaning to me. Some meanings are deeper than others. And many would have no meaning at all to anyone else, especially an outsider looking in. My son is 15, and not sure if he wants a tattoo in the future or not. Either way is fine with me. The only hard and fast rule I've given him, is not til he's 18 (in my state, a parent can sign for permission at 16) UNLESS it was for something Very Important, like a deceased friend. AND, in that case, I would have to approve the design and location, and he would have to wait at least a couple months, and think about it, and know he was absolutely sure. Because tattoos are permanent, ofc. And then I'd be happy to sign for him. The ADVICE I've given him concerning tattoos is: 1) Make sure what you want to get, and where you want to get it, is "appropriate". People often judge books by their cover, so don't get something vulgar, like a naked woman- /1
Saffron Azrael 5 months ago (edited)
Not trying to bash you're rules for your son or anything like that but I just wanted to point out, that pin up tattoos have a long a storied history in tattoo culture. I myself as a woman, bare a pinup tattoo on my back shoulder in honour of my grandfather who was a tail gunner in WWII but he was specifically the guy on base who painted a lot of those pinup on the planes. I also draw pinup and have since my early twenties. Pi up culture it's self is a long and storied history of being an official art form itself, and a pinup doesn't have to be naked to be well done and effective. To end, I'm not saying to resend on that rule for your son, but please don't consider pinup vulgar.
Load More Replies...
Cassandra McTaggart 5 months ago
Tattoos should always be meaningful to the person. But that meaning can be I like how it looks.
Carl Johnson 5 months ago
If it's Tribal then he should be part of that tribe. If he's not then he's an idiot and deserves to be mocked.
James Hammond 5 months ago
How about just get whatever tattoo you want, and stop worrying about some weirdo who has nothing to do with the "tribe" being upset for the "tribe". They don't own what you do, no matter how much they want to.
Load More Replies... Carl Johnson 5 months ago
If it's tribal then he should be part of that tribe. If he's not then he's an idiot.
Jus 5 months ago
I think it's funny. If it's just cool, why not have the same one. I would laugh and tell everyone
Jaya 5 months ago (edited)
When I was a 19 year old, I would have found it very cringe to have the same tattoo as my parent, it would make me scared my peers would think I'm a little mommy's girl/daddy's girl. Like you're not an independent adult yet. Maybe I shouldn't think like that, but at 19 I definitely did.
Load More Replies...
Breadcrumb. 5 months ago
Tattoos don't need to have meaning. If it's not your body why do you care so much? I'd never get a tattoo because I know I'd get bored of whatever I've permanently drawn on my body. But that's just me and so many people feel attached to theirs and that's nice for them. :)
George Costanza 5 months ago
I really hope future generations reverse the tattoo trend and go au natural again. Everyone is starting to look pretty stupid covered in bad ink.
Sherman 5 months ago
Obvious rage bait. Stop giving these ppl the satisfaction of pulling one over on you.
LittleTeapot 5 months ago
I find the comments that the dad‘s tattoo is meaningless frustrating because they are an emotional reaction to the story and not a thought out answer to the AITA question - the dad‘s tattoo does have meaning to him For the record, if the story is true as written - which I doubt - I don’t think it was an a*****e move. The father told the son what he was going to do and did it. If anything, it’s a great moment for the 19-year-old son to learn something: people bagging on something that you love should make you pause to think about why you love it and whether or not that’s healthy but if you decide you do love it, their bagging on you is a failure. And if you communicate that to them, they can learn to accept what you love or choose not to, and if they chose not to then they would be an a*****e. If the kid did communicate this and the father still wanted to do this, then the dad is an a*****e. But the kid should be extra proud of that tattoo and sticking to what he loves.
MR 5 months ago
I mean, I get why OP is the AH here. But OP turned their son's tattoo from a meaningless thing that he liked visually to a meaningful one by virtue of sharing it with their parent. I'm not disagreeing it was a bad move. But perspective matters.
Rowboat 5 months ago (edited)
Unfortunately, that meaning is now "I will go out of my way to do something hypocritical just to ruin your excitement." You have a point but the son won't see it that way and it certainly doesn't sound like he announced it in a jovial "hey, buddy, we now match! So it's no longer meaningless!" Kinda way
Load More Replies...
Pablo Ramos 5 months ago
I think the son should play it well, tell everyone he is proud he and his dad have matching body art. Be happy about it. Use it as a bonding opportunity with your dad.
Jaya 5 months ago
When you love something and your parent deliberately tries to ruin it for you, I don't think you should use it as a bonding opportunity, but as a "consider whether you want them in your life or not" opportunity.
Load More Replies...
Anthony Bonificio 5 months ago
I'm guessing most of the comments are gen zers with no reading comprehension skills, since she said she said whe warned him if he gets a meaningless tattoo she'll get the same.
Jaya 5 months ago
So? If I warn someone I'm going to beat him up if he does something, does that make it okay for me to actually beat him? Just because you warned someone, doesn't make it okay. The kid is an adult, trying to manipulate your adult child into doing things your way, when they're things that don't actually concern you, is unacceptable controlling behaviour.
Load More Replies...
Kathy Kennedy 5 months ago
I don't get tattoos, they used to be because someone was in some part of the military, tribal, or had deeper meaning to you. Now they are heralded to 'make a statement about you an individual '. How is it individual to have the exact same tattoo as umpteen others - it seems like tattoos have become ' because it's Thursday' kind of thing, the hairstyle this season but more permanent. You're both twits, the kid I'd expect it from!
Saffron Azrael 5 months ago
So individuals like myself who have tattoos to honour departed loved ones, some how makes me less than an individual. It CAN be meaningless to get a flash tattoo off the parlour walls but when you design your own like mine, it's pretty damn individual. I'm 38 years old and have had my tattoos which I'm pretty dam proud of since my twenties. 95% of people who get tattoos do so for a reason. As I'm a successful freelance writer, well educated and happy and have never had a problem concerning my tattoos which are visible most of the time, I'm going to suggest you don't judge a book by its cover.
Load More Replies... KatSaidWhat 5 months ago
Son's next move - get some really godawful temporary tattoo, don't tell him it's temp, wait for dad to get one, scrub off.
Ms.GB 5 months ago
Exactly. Why does op think people go to museums? Art means something to people.
Load More Replies... Seedy Vine 5 months ago
Getting matching tattoos is kind of meant to be a bonding experience. This could've gone a much better way.
Alexander Brooks 5 months ago
That’s what I was thinking. Dad could have made this a fun thing, and I personally would brag about having matching tats with my parents. Instead he had to be shady about it.
Load More Replies... Ms.GB 5 months ago (edited)
Isn't getting a tattoo because you appreciate the art more meaningful than copying a tattoo you don't even like just to be an a*****e to your son? Rules for thee but not for me? Enjoy your crappy tattoo that doesn't mean anything except you're a judgemental douche and a tattoo snob, this isn't the win you think it is.
GlitterPanda 5 months ago
I've got several tattoos, some are meaningful and some are there because I wanted them. It's the son's skin, sounds like the son's money too, therefore it is solely his choice.
The Doom Song 5 months ago
Yep. I've got a bunch myself. Some are "cool" and a couple are "what the hell was I thinking" No regrets
Load More Replies... Diego 5 months ago
If I were the son, I would make sure to point out "My dad loved my tattoo so much he wanted the same one as me ! He said it's so we could show our bond as father and son." Make it awkward as hell for him.
Rowboat 5 months ago
With an attitude like this I can almost garauntee he's got some questionable thoughts about LGBTQ+ people so I'd start saying I got in memory of a gay friend and watch dad crumble as he realises he's got something that supports a thing he hates. This may also work with rival sports teams if your dad is passionate about that
Load More Replies... Pandroid Rebellion 5 months ago
YTA. For so many reasons. Yucking someone else's esthetic yum. Being judgy based off of an arbitrary set of moving rules. Deciding because something is ubiquitous that it has no value. Trying to force your taste on another person and when that didn't work ruining it for him. Actually thinking other people should agree with all your bad behavior. Did I forget anything?
Joe Publique 5 months ago
Don't get a meaningless tattoo, says the guy who got a meaningless tattoo. What a d***. Feel sorry for his son.
Ash 5 months ago
Ugh this parent. Based on this pattern, their kid is going to be cutting contact within five years....
Anonymous 5 months ago
This parent is going to write a letter to their favorite newspaper columnist asking why their son stopped talking to them.
Sweet T 5 months ago
You assume their relationship is rocky based off this one post!!! If they had a bad relationship then the son would have went behind the dad's back!!!
Load More Replies... adobe blue 5 months ago
What a large tattoo. It was probably expensive and when your point is made what then. The whole lesson you were trying to teach your son is suspect so why didn't you get a nice fake tattoo to make your point? Then you could remove it and get busy on other ways to alienate him. Now you have a tattoo you consider ugly?/pointless/trite and removing is going to leave perm. scarring.
PixieVonBehr 5 months ago
His son is an adult who is perfectly capable of making poor decisions and dealing with the consequences by himself.
kat richards 5 months ago (edited)
Never wanted a tattoo, never gotten one, can't say I won't ever get one ..but it's highly unlikely. My sister and both her kids have them and most of her grandkids except the 11 year old. I don't see the need for them. This dad is clearly unhinged. To get a spite tattoo to prove to the son that he shouldn't get one without a deep meaning?? That's methed up.
Craig Reynolds 5 months ago
I'm guessing he is a single dad since there was no mention of his wife saying he is an AH for what he did. He is probably single because he was a controlling AH towards his son's mom and any other women he was ever in a relationship with.
_-DungeonKeeper-_ 5 months ago (edited)
"DoNt GeT mEaNiNgLeSs TaTtOoS" *proceeds to get meaningless tattoo*
Fox with a Dragon Tattoo 5 months ago
I was really curious if anyone would defend this idiot and what ways they would mock him. The replies did not disappoint
notlikeyou1971 5 months ago
This parent is going to have to have a lot of disposable income to copy the cover up tattoo the son gets. Then the next one and so on. The son is an individual. He has his own beliefs,ideas, style etc. He doesn't have to be a carbon copy of his parents or share their beliefs. I am a perfect example of this. If the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, I came from a completely different orchard. We are complete opposites in every single way. We have been since I was a kid. I always thought I was sent home with the wrong family because we share so little in common and don't look alike but I am not adopted. Guess I got the recessive genes. In some ways I am glad. I have a ton of tattoos by the way. They make me happy and a lot mean things to me. I believe as long as you're doing what you need to do and not breaking the law or hurting others ppl should mind their business and let you live your life.
Yosser Gordon 5 months ago
write "c**t" on your forehead with a sharpie, tell dad its a tattoo ,then wait!
Mr. Jones 5 months ago
What a d**k. And who cares if you don't like tattoos? Certainly not those of us with tattoos. And now you have a stupid tribal tattoo you got just to spite your son. I hope your tattoo fades because I can promise you that you don't realize that tattoos take a little bit of maintenance.
Steve Hall 5 months ago
Tattoos are a matter of choice but there will always be people who think they are ugly. People who do not have a tattoo will always judge people who do.
Jaya 5 months ago
People who don't have tattoos don't necessarily judge people with tattoos. Plenty of people don't have tattoos themselves but don't mind them, or even like them but have reasons not to get any themselves.
Load More Replies... Kayla Hewey 5 months ago
Or maybe he didn't want to tell you the meaning having ink on your skin doesn't mean you are obligated to disclose its possibly very personal backstory.
Josh Gilland 5 months ago
Poor parenting all around. Didn't teach him finical literacy, only idiots spend money on s**t just "to be cool". Didn't teach him respect for himself or others. Getting tattoos that are significant in other cultures just to seem to have an edge makes his kid and now him look like massive tools. To me you just showed the world you're an idiot and you raised an idiot.
Karen Bird 5 months ago
The parent is an idiot and this will just fester resentment with his son! Jeez and I'm sure he wanted to be seen as some kind of hero for that stupid move 🙄
Saffron Azrael 5 months ago
Unless you get a specific type of tribal, say the type Dwayne Jonhson has, than yes it can be considered appropriating a culture but mostly tribal tattoos are washed down and have no link to any real culture. They end up being faux tribal if that makes sense.
Load More Replies... AngelWingsYT 5 months ago
YTA: he didnt get the tat to look cool, he got it because the TAT looked cool. So you broke your own "rule" (which is stupid n pointless reguardless). There is a difference in getting a tat to make yourself look cool vs getting a tat cause it looks cool. EX. To me a mlp:fim tat would look cool, but it deff wont make ME look cool (outside the fandom). I coild get those Chinese word(s) tat cause ig thats whats cool but i domt PERSONALLY think its cool.
Marie BellaDonna 5 months ago
I have 20 tattoos. Some of them were more "for fun" than others, but all of them have a meaning to me. Some meanings are deeper than others. And many would have no meaning at all to anyone else, especially an outsider looking in. My son is 15, and not sure if he wants a tattoo in the future or not. Either way is fine with me. The only hard and fast rule I've given him, is not til he's 18 (in my state, a parent can sign for permission at 16) UNLESS it was for something Very Important, like a deceased friend. AND, in that case, I would have to approve the design and location, and he would have to wait at least a couple months, and think about it, and know he was absolutely sure. Because tattoos are permanent, ofc. And then I'd be happy to sign for him. The ADVICE I've given him concerning tattoos is: 1) Make sure what you want to get, and where you want to get it, is "appropriate". People often judge books by their cover, so don't get something vulgar, like a naked woman- /1
Saffron Azrael 5 months ago (edited)
Not trying to bash you're rules for your son or anything like that but I just wanted to point out, that pin up tattoos have a long a storied history in tattoo culture. I myself as a woman, bare a pinup tattoo on my back shoulder in honour of my grandfather who was a tail gunner in WWII but he was specifically the guy on base who painted a lot of those pinup on the planes. I also draw pinup and have since my early twenties. Pi up culture it's self is a long and storied history of being an official art form itself, and a pinup doesn't have to be naked to be well done and effective. To end, I'm not saying to resend on that rule for your son, but please don't consider pinup vulgar.
Load More Replies... Cassandra McTaggart 5 months ago
Tattoos should always be meaningful to the person. But that meaning can be I like how it looks.
Carl Johnson 5 months ago
If it's Tribal then he should be part of that tribe. If he's not then he's an idiot and deserves to be mocked.
James Hammond 5 months ago
How about just get whatever tattoo you want, and stop worrying about some weirdo who has nothing to do with the "tribe" being upset for the "tribe". They don't own what you do, no matter how much they want to.
Load More Replies... Carl Johnson 5 months ago
If it's tribal then he should be part of that tribe. If he's not then he's an idiot.
Jus 5 months ago
I think it's funny. If it's just cool, why not have the same one. I would laugh and tell everyone
Jaya 5 months ago (edited)
When I was a 19 year old, I would have found it very cringe to have the same tattoo as my parent, it would make me scared my peers would think I'm a little mommy's girl/daddy's girl. Like you're not an independent adult yet. Maybe I shouldn't think like that, but at 19 I definitely did.
Load More Replies... Breadcrumb. 5 months ago
Tattoos don't need to have meaning. If it's not your body why do you care so much? I'd never get a tattoo because I know I'd get bored of whatever I've permanently drawn on my body. But that's just me and so many people feel attached to theirs and that's nice for them. :)
George Costanza 5 months ago
I really hope future generations reverse the tattoo trend and go au natural again. Everyone is starting to look pretty stupid covered in bad ink.
Sherman 5 months ago
Obvious rage bait. Stop giving these ppl the satisfaction of pulling one over on you.
LittleTeapot 5 months ago
I find the comments that the dad‘s tattoo is meaningless frustrating because they are an emotional reaction to the story and not a thought out answer to the AITA question - the dad‘s tattoo does have meaning to him For the record, if the story is true as written - which I doubt - I don’t think it was an a*****e move. The father told the son what he was going to do and did it. If anything, it’s a great moment for the 19-year-old son to learn something: people bagging on something that you love should make you pause to think about why you love it and whether or not that’s healthy but if you decide you do love it, their bagging on you is a failure. And if you communicate that to them, they can learn to accept what you love or choose not to, and if they chose not to then they would be an a*****e. If the kid did communicate this and the father still wanted to do this, then the dad is an a*****e. But the kid should be extra proud of that tattoo and sticking to what he loves.
MR 5 months ago
I mean, I get why OP is the AH here. But OP turned their son's tattoo from a meaningless thing that he liked visually to a meaningful one by virtue of sharing it with their parent. I'm not disagreeing it was a bad move. But perspective matters.
Rowboat 5 months ago (edited)
Unfortunately, that meaning is now "I will go out of my way to do something hypocritical just to ruin your excitement." You have a point but the son won't see it that way and it certainly doesn't sound like he announced it in a jovial "hey, buddy, we now match! So it's no longer meaningless!" Kinda way
Load More Replies... Pablo Ramos 5 months ago
I think the son should play it well, tell everyone he is proud he and his dad have matching body art. Be happy about it. Use it as a bonding opportunity with your dad.
Jaya 5 months ago
When you love something and your parent deliberately tries to ruin it for you, I don't think you should use it as a bonding opportunity, but as a "consider whether you want them in your life or not" opportunity.
Load More Replies... Anthony Bonificio 5 months ago
I'm guessing most of the comments are gen zers with no reading comprehension skills, since she said she said whe warned him if he gets a meaningless tattoo she'll get the same.
Jaya 5 months ago
So? If I warn someone I'm going to beat him up if he does something, does that make it okay for me to actually beat him? Just because you warned someone, doesn't make it okay. The kid is an adult, trying to manipulate your adult child into doing things your way, when they're things that don't actually concern you, is unacceptable controlling behaviour.
Load More Replies... Kathy Kennedy 5 months ago
I don't get tattoos, they used to be because someone was in some part of the military, tribal, or had deeper meaning to you. Now they are heralded to 'make a statement about you an individual '. How is it individual to have the exact same tattoo as umpteen others - it seems like tattoos have become ' because it's Thursday' kind of thing, the hairstyle this season but more permanent. You're both twits, the kid I'd expect it from!
Saffron Azrael 5 months ago
So individuals like myself who have tattoos to honour departed loved ones, some how makes me less than an individual. It CAN be meaningless to get a flash tattoo off the parlour walls but when you design your own like mine, it's pretty damn individual. I'm 38 years old and have had my tattoos which I'm pretty dam proud of since my twenties. 95% of people who get tattoos do so for a reason. As I'm a successful freelance writer, well educated and happy and have never had a problem concerning my tattoos which are visible most of the time, I'm going to suggest you don't judge a book by its cover.
Load More Replies...
Related on Bored Panda
33
126