Amanda with her son Kain, who has inspired several of her tattoos. See one of her parent tattoos and hear what she has to say about it after the jump!
How old was Kain when you got this tattoo?
I believe he was 3, close to turning 4; I remember because I know he had just entered into junior kindergarten at the time.
How old is he now?
Kain is 8 1/2 (& almost as tall as me!)
How did you decide on the design?
I decided on the anchor design because I’ve always said that Kain is ‘my anchor’; he keeps me grounded (meaning that I feel much more grounded in reality & I feel as if having him has given me more purpose in life…and that I have something to stay grounded for.)
I’m also a huge fan of the oldschool style of tattoos, so this is the style I had it done in. (The nautical stars are purely aesthetic.)
Who was your artist?
My artist was Alex at Reactive Ink in Kensington Market (On Augusta.)
Do you have plans to add to this as he grows?
I don’t have plans to add to this particular design, but I do plan on getting a similar, corresponding tattoo on the opposite ankle with his birth date. (I also have his name inked in another language, plus I have at least 5 other tattoos that are all related to my son & motherhood, in general.)
What does Kain think of it?
Kain’s very used to it now (I think it just blends in with all of the other tattoos I have & he’s grown so accustomed to it that he doesn’t particularly notice it anymore!), but when I first acquired it he would tell EVERYONE he saw about it & make me show it to them
How does it go over with others?
Once folks inquire as to who ‘Kain’ is and I tell them the story behind it, I get nothing but absolutely positive reactions; even the people I’ve spoken to who identify as ‘not usually being a fan of tattoos’ smile when they see it. I think it’s very hard for people to judge such a positive, celebratory thing in any kind of negative light.
(When one of Kain’s friends saw it, she turned to her mother and said ‘How come YOU don’t love me enough to get MY name tattooed?!’ lol. That was the only thing that ever came close to a ‘bad’ reaction!)Parent Tattoo #1 – Tony
Parent Tattoo #2 – Josh
Parent Tattoo #3 – Emily
