Tattooed Parents- we're just like the rest

As hard as we all try to be open minded and reign in the urge to judge there are many stigmas that society still holds fast to. One that affects me specifically is the bias that still exists toward people with tattoos. No, I am not talking about the cute little heart on your ankle or the butterfly on your hip as society seems to have gotten over those. I'm talking about people who have devoted their bodies to art. 

Hubbs, Bub, and I went on a family vacation to Disney World this year with grandma and grandpa (his parents). It was our first vacation together and we got stared at. I'm talking full on open mouthed gawking, pointing, and whispering. People visiting the world of Disney even looked angered and offended by us, especially when pushing little man around in his stroller. Apparently it was bad enough that we were tattooed, but adding offspring to the mix was completely outrageous. I wasn't really surprised.

Now, I'm really not all that far along on the road to being a thoroughly tattooed female. I have six. I intend to have a sleeve, a half sleeve, at least one lower leg sleeved (socked?) and one finger. However, 98% of my tattoos are clearly visible when it its winter. I also have a septum piercing and a tongue piercing as well as a couple others. There's barely a part of Hubbs left un-inked. He would literally have to be wearing a full hazmat suit to conceal them all, and he also had 1 1/4 inch gauge tunnels in his ears. We get looks wherever we go. 

What I don't understand is...what is the big deal? Tattoos are much more widely accepted today than they were even eight years ago when I first sat in the chair. But they are still deemed 'unprofessional' in many circles and cause people to give you a wide berth on the sidewalk. And people with tattoos are just that- people with tattoos. I understand that not too long ago there were serious crime/gang associates almost exclusively linked with tattooing, but this is the 21st century and having tattoos on my chest doesn't make me a bad person. I'm actually a pretty good person. Up until my recent hospitalization I was gainfully employed at a respectable business, I paid my bills, and took care of my family. My time was devoted to going out of my way to make other people happy, and every once in a while I indulged in a tattoo session to give myself a little happiness too. 

I've heard outrageous stories: mothers pulling their children away from guys with tattoos and telling them, "stay away from dirty bikers," and seen fathers step in front of their children, acting as shields, from a woman asking for directions. Really? That 'dirty biker' was at a fair with his family and an active participant in children's charities.  Color is only skin deep. A narrow mind permeates your entire being. 

Hubbs really has it worse than I do for the time being. He's an intimidating figure as it is at a brawny 6'2. But people see his tattoos- head to neck to knuckles to legs- and they back away, never mind that he is often described by little old ladies as a sweet, polite, and gracious gentleman. He works in the service industry and encounters all kind of people on a daily basis, walking into their homes to fix whatever has gone wrong. He is always first met with wide eyes and an instantaneous narrowing of the door opening, but he is the one that people always want coming back because he is a kind, respectful man. He is the one who will drag an older customer's garbage cans to the sidewalk without being asked, he'll fix the shower head even though it isn't his job, he'll play with your dog and talk to your kids. Every week he mows the lawn of our neighbor across the street because she is older and he doesn't want her to have to spend her fixed income on a landscaper. 

We are active, loving, attentive parents. We play at the park, we only employ a babysitter for work emergencies, and our kid is well mannered, patient, and well behaved (even though he is out of control spoiled). We often get complimented on his good behavior (and awesome array of fedoras). We have many friends who are also tattooed parents and they are all loving, wonderful, colorful people. I know that there are those who are tattooed and do not fit what I am saying, but that has nothing to do with their body art and everything to do with who they are as a person. Like I said, we're just people, same as everyone else out there. 

So keep in mind the next time you see a tattooed mom or dad, that they may be a few different colors on the outside, but on the inside we're still all the same.