Too Cool

I must admit: I have the coolest parents. Over the years they've compromised with a lot of my crazy requests. I wasn't a normal teenager: instead of asking to go on dates or to parties I wanted to go to concerts on school nights or dye my hair. I tested the waters by getting a few piercings. And then it happened: at 17, I went big and asked for a tattoo.

I was a good kid and my parents recognized that, so they agreed. My dad went with me (awesome) and I was completely hooked. In college it only got worse as I accumulated 14 piercings and 4 more tattoos. Trips home were...interesting.

The real problem wasn't that I was into all this body modification. It was that I did it without telling my parents. They say they would have been fine if I notified them before I did anything instead of showing up at Thanksgiving with my eyebrow pierced and jet black hair. Trust = Respect.

I basically fainted before telling my mom I had been hiding a tattoo on my ribs that she would see when we were wedding dress shopping. I finally learned my lesson, which is why I called her two days ago, the minute I booked my appointment to get this.

And for the record, they were cool with it.