Tattoos have quickly become one of the most popular ways for parent’s to showcase their love for their children. If you’re a follower of me on Instagram (and if not you can do so here) you may have seen that I recently got my fourth tattoo. It depicts a knight coming out of battle on the back of my calf. While it doesn’t directly reference Clara or our upcoming son, the meaning behind it is very strong for me and reflects my growth as I’ve stepped into the role of Dad.
Since getting a tattoo means I’ve only fuelled the fire to get more tattoos (If you have a tattoo you know the feeling!) I’ve already started thinking about what tattoo I could eventually get to showcase either my family or my kids. It was through this research that I discovered there are a LOT of ideas out there. I have broken it down to my 16 favourite modern tattoo ideas for parents.
Animals
Animals are on the verge of becoming overdone (or depending on when you read this may already be overdone) BUT I still love them a lot. This is currently my number one idea for my future tattoo. The hardest part is deciding WHICH animal. Because of this I couldn’t just leave it at animal tattoo and be done. So here’s three of my favourite animals: Bears, Birds, Battlestar Galactica.
Birds
There’s so a large variety of birds that you could easily create a list just of different bird inspired family tattoos. Personally, my favourite bird is the crow and I think it makes a great tattoo idea for parents.
Bears
Bears and bear cubs can make a very cool family tattoo idea. Whether you’re getting them drawn realistic or in a fun cartoon like this one, they can make a great tattoo to represent your kids.
Wolf Cub
Wolves and the idea of the wolf pack have long been symbolic of family which is why they make a popular tattoo for parents looking to get a family inspired tattoo.
Elephants
The way elephants hold each others tails while walking as a family is adorable and while I may be anthropomorphizing, I’ve loved it so much I actually got that design as my phone case.
Fingerprint
I’m not sure how long fingerprint tattoos have been around, but I feel like I’m only now just starting to notice them. Your child or children’s fingerprints are a cool idea to get tattooed on you and can even be shaped to represent hearts or incorporated into larger pieces.
Baby Feet/Hands
This is a popular tattoo option for parents and it’s easy to see why. Baby feet and hands are so tiny and adorable. Some of the best ones I have seen also include the child’s birthdate and name or like the previous category are made up of a fingerprint.
Colouring Book
While these tattoos aren’t EXACTLY about your kids, they can make for a lot of fun for them. Getting just the outline done of your tattoo can leave them open for your kids to colour them in, after all what’s more fun that drawing on mom or dad? As they get older you can always go back in to get them filled in.
Seasonal Flowers
Flower tattoos have always been incredibly popular. The great thing with a flower tattoo is that you can customize it in unique ways. Do it in a watercolour style, or insert your child’s names, birthdates or location – represented in longitude and latitude – like this tattoo.
Birthdate Tattoos
Immortalizing the day of the birth of your child or children in tattoos is great choice for a parent tattoo. If you want to take it even a step farther – and nerdier – you can figure out their star date and get that tattooed on you.
Names
It’s a fairly safe bet that if you picked your child’s name then you probably like it. That’s why it makes an easy choice for a tattoo. You can create a tattoo written out in a loved ones script, or designed with arrows, heart beats, dates and more. Name tattoos are always a good choice for a parents tattoo.
Kid Drawing
I’m definitely not brave enough to do this, but if you’re having trouble figuring out what you want as a tattoo for your kids, why not let your kids decide? Kid designed tattoos are becoming more popular and while I may not be brave enough, maybe it’s the right tattoo for you.
Constellation
I think this is a really neat idea for a tattoo. Constellation tattoos can be as big or as small as you want and can also incorporate names, dates, or other design elements.
Stick Figure Family
While the stick figure family has gotten a bad rap because of it’s frequency on the back of kid-toting-SUVs and minivans, I think they still have a place and hey if your spouse is game it makes a pretty awesome matching tattoo.
Family Tattoo
These style of tattoos can take many different forms. They can even be recreation of family photos. I can see trying to recapture a moment or a family picture like this one as a tattoo.
Family Tree
For every amazing family tree tattoo there are two equally bad family tree tattoos. Personally, I love the ones that play off of the traditional family tree in a unique way, like this one that builds the family into the trunk.
Silhouette
I love silhouette tattoos and this idea is definitely high on my list of tattoos I may end up getting. This father daughter silhouette tattoo is amazing.
If you liked these tattoo ideas for parents, check out some of my other most popular posts!
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