I would make my child show me the design (which would have to be an original design by my child or a friend – I think a tattoo should be personal and unique to each individual’s body, not somethign picked off the wall that tons of other people have) and then wait for at least a year (probably more) to get it – and if, at the end of that time he or she still wanted that exact tattoo, I would not only approve (given that the design wasn’t huge or in a very obivous place), but I would go with!
I designed two tattoos when I was 17 years old and I was going to have my friend do them (in his house). I decided that I should wait to see if I really wanted them. Well, almost 4 years later and I still want the two I designed but I am SOOO glad that I did not let my friend do it in his house! He told me he was licensed, blah, blah, blah but just didn’t want to do that as his regular job so he only did it on the side for friends – I came to find out later, after we stopped talking because he moved, that he actually learned how to tat in prison. Now, because I’ve waited, I can save up the money to get a very well done tattoo at a respectable and clean establishment.
It’s just a matter of getting the money though… ;)