Mommy Has Tattoos Mondays! (version 7!!)

Wow, here we are at lucky # 7 of

Todays super sweet tattooed mama is Michelle! I am so happy to have met Michelle and I'm sure you all will love her story and adore her as well!

Here's Michelle's Interview!

Hello! I am Michelle and I live in Sunny San Diego with my husband, daughter and little pup peanut. My blog is She Said
Can I just say moms rock, whether they have tattoos or not. Mom's that have tattoos just rock a little bit harder.
1. What do your children have to say about your tattoos?
since my child is only 4 months she can't say much of anything. However, she does stare and "talk" to them a lot. She is particularly fond of my little teal birdie that always falls at her eye level when I am feeding her.

2. Since we're on the subject of moms and tattoos,what does your mom have to say about your tattoos?
My mom is not in love with all the tattoos I get, but she doesn't hate them either. She thinks they are tasteful so far, but just wait until I get the skulls! hahaha. All of her friends (they were all in the military where it is very common) and all my sister have tattoos, so it is pretty accepted in my family. My mom had a harder time with my piercings than my tattoos. She literally told me that if I was living with her that I couldn't have any piercings, but I could get whatever tattoos I wanted. I thought it was kinda funny since tattoos are permanent.

3. How do other un tattooed moms or parents react to your tattoos?
At first, many people don't talk to me. I just get a whole lot of staring going on. They won't approach me unless I talk to them first, and then even sometimes its just half smiles and awkwardness. I get a lot of people who ask how old I am. Like they think I am 16 and got pregnant by accident and too young and have some wild rebel attitude. I am 26 people! I have tattoos because they are beautiful works of art that can express much more than I can merely through words. And I planned to have my baby too! (Seriously, someone actually told me they thought I was a teenager and was going to reprimand me for having a baby so young)

4. Do you ever try to hide your tattoos from your child's teachers,friends parents, etc?
I don't intentionally hide my tattoos unless I am going to a wedding or something where most of the attendees are not tattooed. Because all eyes should be on the bride, not my tattoos! When I first started going to my church, I noticed no one else there had any visible tattoos so I hid mine for a while so that way I wouldn't be judged. As it turned out, everyone was totally acceptable of them :) Oh, and when my husband and I apply to apartments, we hide them because we don't want the landlord/leasing agents to think we are some wild child problem people who are going to be a pain in the butt to rent to.

5.Do you have any tattoos dedicated to your children?If not do you plan on getting any?
YES! My husband and I both recently got tattoos for our daughter. I got antique frame with a "C" for Chloe and her birth date in the middle. It also has her birthstone. It resembles the necklace I made for her and wore while I was pregnant and in my maternity photo shoot.

6. How will you react if and when your children start getting tattoos?
I will show them the mess of a tattoo (tramp stamp) I got when I was 18 because I thought I was so cool. It is a bad tattoo and I never want to cover it up because I want to use it as an example for my children. "This is what it looks like to get a stupid tattoo." I will be totally open to Chloe getting tatted up as long as she is smart about her decisions and really understands that it is for life and she understands the affect it might have on other aspects of her life (for instance, the affects from some of the questions you have here).

7.How did you feel about your tattoos during and after pregnancy?(I have stomach tattoos so that was interesting to say the least!)
I have always wanted tattoos on my hips, but I knew that the area would get stretched out when I was pregnant, so I have decided to wait until after I have our last child to get them there. My tattoos really had no affect. Most are on my arms and I really didn't gain much wait to notice a difference.

8. Do you think your tattoos effect your child's social schedule (for instance Sam's mom doesn't really want Sam to play with your child because of your tattoos) Have you ever faced this type of challenge as a tattooed mom?
Right now, Chloe plays with the other babies in our family or at our church, so it has no effect on her right now... it will be interesting when she starts school though.

9. Is there anything you would like to let those un tattooed parents know that may judge you as a tattooed mom?
My tattoo is NOT going to magically jump off my skin and attack you when I walk by. Just because I have tattoos doesn't mean I am any different than you. I am just trying to live life the best I can and raise my daughter to the best of my abilities. Judging someone because of they have ink on there skin is like judging someone because of the color of their skin. NOT COOL.

10. Do you plan on getting more tattoos?
Heck yes! James and I plan on getting at least one tattoo a year for the rest of our lives! We are going to have a fun collection and I like that most of them will have stories behind them.
Tattoo and Artist Info: Most of my artwork is from Guf at Tattoo Royale in San Diego. My peacock and flowers were done by Sue Kidder at Flesh Skin Graffix in Imperial Beach.
I am in LOVE with all of Michelle's gorgeous art! Thank you so much for being a part of this feature Michelle!!!
If you would like to be featured or know of a cool tattooed mommy send me an email at akornelson@gmail.com !!

xoxo