[Daki]

Okay. So I want to get a tattoo for my (still living) grandmother. I was raised by her and my mother. I might have grown up without a father but I definitely had two parents. After we moved out of her house and I could drive, I'd spend a week with her and then a week with my mom and alternate like that. I'm her first grandkid and we have a deep connection because of how I grew up.

I want her to write a little note to me and I want her words to me on my forearm forever. The problem is she says she hates tattoos. So I would like help on ideas how to convince her to do this for me. My aunt is already on my side and is also trying to convince her for me but no luck yet.

She has a history of hating things until I do them.. then she likes them. She thought stretched ears were horrendous until I did it and now she thinks my ears are beautiful. As a matter of fact, she's the one who bought me most of my plugs and hanging jewelry. I have other tattoos and she protested my getting them but after she admitted they were nicer than she thought they'd be. She thought hockey was an awful sport until I became a fan, now she watches it more than I do. She hated the fights in hockey until I explained why they help the team, now she cheers the fighters on. She thought the idea of pink hair was atrocious until I dyed mine pink. The list just goes on and on.

So I KNOW she'll love my tattoo for her AFTER I get it. But I can't seem to convince her to let me do it. I mean, the idea of taking a note from a birthday card has crossed my mind but I want her permission.

[Anssett]

Is she logical? Can you present the history (like you did with us) and explain that to you a tattoo is the ultimate way to honor her because it's permanent?

[peachypeg]

Has she ever had a little saying? Or perhaps a favorite item/flower/ect? Words are hard to maintain as a tat....they have to be large to not blend together. I am just saying that maybe not have a note but have a word or something to represent her. But then, it would also depend on where and how you plan on the note from her. (Just rambling thoughts)

[tessendicott]

I would say go for it. My mom thought she was going to hate tattoos/piercings on me until I got my monroe done and the first time it grew up, she handed me $40 and said, "Please go get your monroe pierced again, it looks really cute." hahahaha.

I would make sure that if you're doing a note from her, to make the artist do it in HER handwriting. <3

[ParadiseFalls]

I don't have any advice as far as convincing her, but I think I'd prefer taking something special she'd already written, like you mentioned from old cards — might feel more sincere. Not that she wouldn't be sincere writing something specifically for that purpose, but something more candid might be nice.

[Huzzahforska]

You could tell her that you're going to do it regardless, you'd just rather have it be something for the purpose of the tattoo instead of something you take out of a card or a letter.. I'm the only person in my family with any tattoos and until recently I was getting a lot of guff about them, but I told my family that I'm going to have these ones for the rest of my life, and I'm going to get more whether they want me to or not (this all happened when I told my sister and mother I was going to finish my half sleeve before my wedding in September) and they are all a lot more willing to be involved with throwing around ideas of how my half sleeve should be laid out.

[Daki]

Resurrecting my old thread because I wanted to annouce my grandma finally gave me the okay, the reference pictures and the note for my tattoo! I got it done almost two weeks ago after pestering her for nearly 3 years about this.

I was suuuuper picky about how I wanted this to look and I think the artist did a wonderful job! Put a clover in her hair for our Irish heritage she's so proud of and roses at the bottom because of her name.

I'm exciiiited.

And my grandma thinks it is "really nice" lol.

[FickleHearts]

Really nice tat! Grats, glad she caved in!! Love the cameo portrait.

[JessicaSki]

Is it on your forearm?

[Daki]

Yep, it's on my forearm. It has also lightened considerably, those were "day of" pictures.

Thanks, FickleHearts!

[amandie]

I freakin' love it!!!!

[Mozzy]

Love it!