Would You Let Your 9-Year-Old Give a Tattoo?

Many geekdads are known to partake in the occasional tattoo, but how do you explain your ink to your kids? Naturally, it probably varies from piece to piece. Your polyhedral masterpiece may not be so hard to justify, but if you’ve ever made the horrible mistake of getting a person’s name inked on your body… well, good luck.

If you’re a tattoo artist, though, things are probably a little different. Stephen Hibbs of Suffer City Tattoos in Dallas gained national notoriety when he posted a video of his then-7-year-old daughter, Lilly, giving him a tattoo: Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants.

"Monkey see, monkey do, I guess," says Stephen in this CNN interview. "She watches us everyday. She just wants to be a part of it."

After Stephen posted the video on YouTube, Lilly got her first client, who drove all the way from North Carolina for a tattoo. She only charged $5 for the tattoo, and her dad held the heavy tattoo machine for her while she drew, but apparently the guy loved her piece: an anchor.

Personally, I think this is awesome. Both parents are proud of their craft and their daughter grew up around the tattoo parlor; Lilly no doubt sees Suffer City in the same light as any child sees their parents’ workplace (though it’s probably a bit more fun than a cube farm).

I applaud Stephen and his wife for encouraging their daughter’s creative aspirations. Even more so, I’m impressed by their self-sacrifice. When was the last time you let your fifth grader come at you with a needle?

Related:
Let Your Kids Design Their Own Tattoos
Would You Let Your Kid Get This Tattoo?

Photo: KXTA

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