One mum has revealed she 'doesn’t care what anyone thinks' after letting her 15-year-old daughter get a tattoo.
The woman, Diana Register, took to Kidspot to explain exactly why she was fine with her child, Kaitlyn, getting permanent ink as a teenager given the heartfelt reason behind the design.
She began her explanation declaring: "I let my 15-year-old daughter get a tattoo, and no, I don’t care what anybody has to say about it."
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After voicing her issues with the 'problem nowadays' that sees 'anybody can walk into a tattoo parlour anywhere and get whatever fancies them at the time', Diana outlined that the meaning behind certain tattoos can sometimes 'lose its relevance'.
"I’m pretty sure that most teenagers, and some adults, who are tattooing what’s cool to them now won’t love it forever and will eventually look at it with regret," she stated.
The mum continued: "So, when my teenager asked me for one, trust me, I thought about it. And thought about it. And thought about it.
"What was her reason? What did she want? Was she trying to impress her friends? Was she just following some trend?"
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After having a chat about it, Diana soon found out just what her daughter had in mind.
"She told me that she wanted to get a very small, very appropriate tattoo to honour her dad, who passed away from cancer when she was 13," the mum went on. "Even with that reasoning, I still struggled with it."
In the discussion, Kaitlyn talked about her older sister Savanna's tattoo which was 'I IV IX' placed on the top of her foot.
"For those of you that aren’t up on your Roman numerals, that’s 1-4-9, which was my husband’s police badge number. I couldn’t think of a more beautiful tribute. In fact, it still takes my breath away," the mum admitted.
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She then started thinking about the meaning behind the ink and realised is 'was so much deeper than just numbers'.
"You see, after his valiant fight with his disease, his badge number has become synonymous with strength, courage and hope," the mum went on. "That’s what it means to me, and clearly what it means to my kids."
Diana's daughter was present when her father passed and held his hand 'until he took his last breath'.
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Recalling the tragic moment, the mum revealed: "She sat straight up, wiped her face, swallowed hard, squeezed his hand and told him he could go. She told him it was OK.
"She stayed with him while he died and didn’t leave him for an hour after. She held his hand while he took his last breath, much in the same way that he held hers when she took her first."
Diana marvelled at how even amidst the grief and sadness, Kaitlyn still 'managed to continue to honour her dad'.
"So when Kaitlyn and her sister decided to get a tattoo to respect the battle and to honour their hero that fell, there was no way I was standing in the way of that. Not for one second," she said.
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Diana concluded: "So yes, I let my 15-year-old get a tattoo and no, I don’t care what anybody has to say about it, because they have shown me, you, and anybody else who will listen what surviving looks like.
"They get to show that off however they damn well want to. They’ve earned it."
Rhiannon Ingle