Tattoo artists: How do you feel about teenagers coming in to get tattoos?

When a teenager come in to our shop we want to help them the best we can. This will be on there forever. So we wonder if they really know what they want and how long have they thought about this tat. We try to get them to pick a smaller tattoo if they are of a smaller build.We also make sure that they are 16 and have a parent signature. It better it the tat has meaning to them and they have a story about it but we will also tattoo them if they open up the book and point to one.

I'm not a tattoo artist, but I am a teenager with an intersting in getting a tattoo. My tattoo is in memory of a friend who passed away at 18 just last weekend. I suppose it would depend if the teenager was getting the tattoo with some special meaning or not. If they're getting the tattoo just because they can, I wouldn't look highly at that. However, if it was something with meaning, like mine (a memorial tattoo) or a tattoo professing their faith or something important to them, then I think I would approve of it.