Acceptance

The purpose of this blog is largely educational. We are learning about a historical mo vement, an art form, a whole culture. We are discussing various styles and methods of tattooing, simply for the sake of understanding another part of the world around us. Today, however, I want to bump a post up a few weeks and talk about tattoo acceptance, something I've had reason to think about recently and would like to share with my reader(s).
"A tattoo is forever!"
"Aren't you a little too young to be making a decision like this?"
"What happens when you're 40 and you regret all your tattoos?"
I feel like tearing out your jugular when you ask me these questions. Is that harsh? Is that any harder for you to hear than it is for me when you are blatantly disrespectful about decisions I've made for my life? It's my life, by the way. It's my body to "defile". When you, a perfect stranger to the goings on of my own mind, treat me like I don't know what I'm doing, I wonder if you should be questioning yourself, not me.
What happens when you're 40 and you're tired of the husband you picked out at 19? What if, halfway through college, your area of study no longer interests you? What if somebody treated your passion like a passing fancy, something you will later regret?
Talk to me about my tattoos the way you would any other aspect of my life. They are, for as much as I love and talk about them, such a small part of who I am. I also work hard at my job, I'm a completely faithful partner in my relationship, I have about 500 other hobbies and interests that are just as important to me as tattoos, but get overlooked because there's no controversy about sewing kit collections.

"Uh I think you have a little something on your back there.."

I started on a back piece this week. A real life dream come true- I am officially tattooed on more parts of my body than not. I don't think that has changed anything else about me. I am still trusted as a nanny to take good care of small children. I still pay my bills on time. I'm still human. Treat me as such.