Now that We Agree My Mother Was Right
January 3, 2008 by kate baggott
Filed under Mental Health
This, is my tattoo (not actual size).
I was young(ish). I was cool (fleetingly). I knew that I would always be able to love Love. And yet, the sad truth is, my mother was right. Love should never have seen the end of the tattooist’s pen.
Hidden from the casual viewer (well, not anymore), Love is showing it’s age. As pregnancy stretched me, it stretched my skin and Love was stretched too. I, however, recovered. Time and female biology have not been so kind to Love.
I’ve been waffling over what to do about Love for a long time, but it’s reached a point of crisis where a decision must be made. For this state of affairs, there is no one to blame but Johnny Depp.
Or rather, let’s blame the whole crew of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Once, my 5 year-old’s interest in pirates would have been contained by reading Pippi Longstocking and Treasure Island. We might still have had a pirate-themed birthday party before the interest in pirates was replaced with something new. Now, though, the success of these three films has led to a larger pop-cultural support of his interest. It has also provided him with any number of fake tattoos to choose from. He can, and often does, choose a fresh new tattoo every day.
And, it has inspired this phrase during family swim time:
“Let’s wash your tattoo off. It’s not very nice anymore and you are not a pirate, Mum.”
While I find it easy enough to admit that I am not, have never been and will never be a pirate, I find it harder to deal with the fact that my tattoo doesn’t look nice.
So, it’s time to decide.
Naturally, there is a reason why I’ve decided to reveal my Love now. Not only is it a childbirth and pregnancy recovery issue that affects more women than will admit it (in public), but it’s time for the Project Blog Week 6 Challenge. Allison asked us to draw readers into our stories with pictures…which might have seemed like a better idea BEFORE she saw my tattoo.
Body ink aside, I am still asking for your support and looking for your vote (or all three votes).
I am competing for this grand prize package:
- An autographed picture of Jackie Warner, courtesy of Sky Sport and Spa (Jackie Warner’s gym from Work Out)
- A pair of shoes from the newest line from Jonathan Kayne (one of my favorite Project Runway Alums)
- A Soffe college hoodie, courtesy ofBCS Frenzy
- Gold-plated earrings from Aurora at Between the Sheets
- A pet portrait, courtesy of Intricate Art
- A set of bud vases from Top Design’s Jonathan Adler
This is the competition:
1. Winnie, Watching the View: “Things we probably won’t see on The View this year”
2. Kate, Babylune: “Now We Agree My Mother Was Right”
3. Sally, Style Fix: “Bai Ling: Not a Fashion Worst”
4. Jodie, Gossip on Sports: “Fun with Photo Captions”
5. Mark, Get Incensed: “Star Power”
Well let’s see … Mr. Depp took “Winona Forever” to “Wino (space, space, space, space) Forever” …
And I had my first (of 3) add to this year because I picked it off the wall when I turned 18 …
So at least yours isn’t connected to an old flame and is original … right?
Sally- It’s not connected to an old flame and I didn’t pick it off the wall! Thank goodness.
I had a neighbor in Michigan who, after she had her husband clipped and had VERY large flames(as in actual FLAMES the size of gosh knows what) inked across her midsection, decided to have an affair and got herself pregnant. The marriage obviously did not survive but the affair and the flames did, although they were a bit worn…
I had a neighbor in Michigan who, after she had her husband clipped and had VERY large flames(as in actual FLAMES the size of gosh knows what) inked across her midsection, decided to have an affair and got herself pregnant. The marriage obviously did not survive but the affair and the flames, although they were a bit worn…
Pickel- It sounds like she should have just gotten the racing stripes…
I don’t happen to have any tattoo’s,
Thanks to my Uncle ~ he was in the Navy and whenever we saw him, I always asked my mom, Why doesn’t he wash his arms…?
I know someone who had a Betty Boop near her belly, and when she got pregnant, Betty, well she began to droop!
I’m actually impressed the color has held on that well. The red is still really vibrant! Skot has tattoos that are far more in need of a touch up than those! And he’s never been pregnant! (Well, not to my knowledge.
)
Stacey- That is a horror story.
Rachel- Part of the vibrancy is the flash on the mirror when I took the picture, but I do try to give Love a vaseline rub every once in a while.
If medical science advances to the point that men can be surrogates, like male seahorses, we are going to have two more children.
I think you should get Kat Von D from LA Ink on TLC to do something very cool with Love.
You’re not the only Tatooed Mama. But, I try to keep loving mine. Of course, I very carefully put my tats in places that wouldn’t stretch from pregnancy - my toe and my shoulderblade.
I still love my tats after two but there on my back so I have very little time to look at them long enough to see any stretch marks or wear. One of them has faded and could use some revamping, let’s do the teenage rebellion tattoo adventure together and get our old mama tattoos transformed into truelove.
Tracee- I wonder if TLC will do touchups for both my sister and I?
Sarah- Let’s get them touched up/transformed together! It will be a bonding moment. And, if Tracee is right, it might make a good reality show script.
“If medical science advances to the point that men can be surrogates, like male seahorses … ”
…the planet will die off within one generation.
Men associate pain with injury - it means you broke your ankle or someone gave you a concussion.
The other major hurdle is that men don’t have the same pain amnesia. I can still describe in great detail the first time I popped a hamstring. You might get one kid, but two?… no way.
Kat Von D = preggo
I wonder how all of her tattoos will hold up! Particularly the one across her tummy!
Rachel- She better give me an exclusive interview!
I thought that Vaseline caused tattoos to smear. I suggest just leaving it alone. But I understand that laser removal of old tats is projected to be a growing business.
Mona- I think that’s only true when the tats are brand new and haven’t set yet.
Hi, Kate I just wanted to pop in and say that I’ve voted — how could I resist? This is a wonderful post. And I’m really enjoying my visit. I’ve bookmarked your site so I’ll find it more easily.
I never got any tatoos. For one thing, I’m covered in freckles and that seems like enough skin decoration for anyone. And for another, I grew up in a town with a lot of post WWII Navy Veterans and when I think of tatoos, I think of old-grungy-faded-stretched — dirty-looking drawings…. It just never appealed to me.
Love, though? I’d say you don’t want to erase Love. Better to freshen it up somehow?
Hey Kate. Great post, I’ll be sure to keep up with the voting.
I don’t know if you are familiar with my sister having her poorly chosen, badly applied, homemade tattoos cut out! Definitely not recommended.
Katiebird- I am leaning toward a touch up. Lazering love just seems like a bad idea…
Oh Renee! Cut out! That’s horrible. I would never do that to Love!
Very interesting stuff, Kate. I always wondered what happened to tatoos after childbirth, over time, and so on. Love can’t go away–I vote for a touch-up!
Thanks Jodie, I am glad this post satisfied inquiring minds.
OH! Let LOVE live!!! Just give it new life with perhaps, a new stylized border and colors! It is a part of your history and how cool will it be for your grandkids to say “My grandma has a tatoo!!!”
Helene
ps. I don’t have kids to tell me to wash my tat off, which a friend recently told me is now referred to as a “tramp stamp!!! The nerve!!
Helene- Well, I suppose that’s better than hag tag.
i honestly don’t see how you can blame Johnny Depp here. You can’t blame him for pregnancy stretching out your tattoo.