Dispelling the tattoo taboo for teens

Getting a tattoo has crossed the minds of most teenagers. I know we deny the fact that all of us go through some sort of stereotypical rebellious phase at some point in our lives even if it's just for a couple of days. I've passed through mine ... I think.

At least I better not mention the idea of a tattoo to my mom again. When I do, she turns into something that looks like the dinosaur that killed the fat guy in "Jurassic Park" and tends to spit in outrage.

Tattoos truly are amazing. There's no denying that, and the artists that create them are probably some of the most talented people around. I mean, they can put beautiful pictures that look like paintings on human skin.

I can barely draw a stick figure on paper.

The biggest fear I would have of getting one (besides the excruciating pain) would be regret. I'm afraid that as soon as they were done putting it on there, I'd have an interview with Bill Gates the next day with "Fart" tattooed on my knuckles. That's my luck anyway. I don't know about anyone else's.

To my mother's dismay, my sister got a tattoo. Luckily, she lived away at college at the time and called over the phone telling Mom about it. Knowing that it was too late, Mom just decided to bear with it, hoping it was the last one.

The second time she got a tattoo, my sister came home and showed it to us. Mom listened to sister's parlor tales with a grin that looked as if she was being stabbed in the eyes repeatedly with a pocket knife. To me they really are cool tattoos, and I hope she's happy with them.

Back to the whole regret thing. I'm sure some people regret them, and some people are so happy with them 50 years later that they wouldn't change a thing. Maybe they got them at a memorable time in their life. I've seen many older people with tattoos -- maybe they got them during the war or some other eventful period. Some people make their living off modeling their tattoos. I had the misfortune of opening one of those magazines and thought I was looking at pictures of giant lizards. I don't see how some people could have their whole bodies covered! What if you had to have one of your limbs amputated? You not only lose your arm or leg, but there goes all the money for those tattoos! Maybe they sell already tattooed prosthetics. If not, I'm sure I could make a decent living out of that.

I'm not really going to take a side in the tattoo matter, because I can see it from both points of view. Parents hate it usually because they think their poor babies are having their bodies scarred, while the poor babies are doing it for fun or what they may think is a good reason. I don't see me getting a tattoo in the near future. I'm sure friends would look at it and say, "Oh that's cool." Then they'd move on with their lives and so would I, but I'd still be stuck with it as it shriveled up along with my skin when I turned 80. I mean, I guess there is always that procedure where they can remove the tattoo but what's the point? I hear it's a painful process and much, much, much more expensive to remove than it was to put it on. That's just my viewpoint.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my mom is taking me shopping for a nose piercing today.

Sam DeReign is a student at Oran High School.