Inked: Dads with tattoos

Jun 11, 2012 7:00 AM by Monica Beyer

Posted in Parenting / Parenting Tips & Advice / Mom & Dad

Dads' Stories Are On Their Skin

Dads are so important in our lives and the lives of our children. If the sight of a tattooed man with his child makes your heart leap, do we have a collection for you! We found some of the coolest, most interesting and heartwarming pictures of tattooed dads and their kids — and the stories to go along with them.

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Troy Ven Salzer

Troy, father of two from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, pictured with Lenore and a tattoo of his daughter he lost to SIDS, Scarlette

"When my 5 1/2-month-old daughter, Scarlette, passed away, a friend who owns a tattoo shop mentioned doing a memorial piece for me. I looked through portfolio photos to get an idea of what I wanted, and I settled on a portrait. The day my wife and I were driving up for the tattoo appointment, we got the autopsy reports confirming it was SIDS. At that point there was a moment of clarity — there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to go through with this portrait tattoo.

I remember telling our oldest daughter, Lenore, that daddy was sad because he misses her baby sister. That's why I got a tattoo, to remind myself every day of her short, but life-changing presence. Now every time Lenore sees the tattoo, she smiles and mentions her baby sister Scarlette. This was my first tattoo, and took over seven hours, but it was worth the pain and has greatly helped the grieving process."

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Tags: dads tattoos

Comments

Comments on "Inked: Dads with tattoos"

Aww this is great. I'm not a huge tattoo person myself, but I love a guy with tattoos. That is, as long as they have meaning. I don't understand why people get random tattoos all the time, but if it's a memory or holds a special place in your heart than why not.

I took my son to get his first tattoo when he was two months away from turning 18. I knew he was going to get anyway in a couple of months and I didn't want it to be something he did rebelliously. It was a pretty good day as I remember. At that age there isn't a lot of quality time with mom. I wound up wanting one myself. Although it was a couple of years before I got the nerve. By then he had two. His girlfriend had been bitten by the bug and had one as well. Now I have three...and so does he. Lol...it is definitely addictive. But along with the story, there is something very sweet about a man with a tattoo(s) taking care of his baby. It's kind of like the lion and the lamb...or that's the best analogy I could think of. Enjoyed these pics.

this is really a touching story. i'm not a tatoo guy but this makes me potentially rethink a tatoo as a visual aid to spark thoughts of loved ones who have passed. very cool!

Love these dads and their beautiful children.