The Obamas, Their Daughters & Tattoos, Oh My!

For the record, I do not have any tattoos on my body (that I know of). After two appendectomy surgeries in the last 16 months, I suppose anything is possible. Apart from the theological reasons (which is a post for another day), there are two main reasons why I will never have a tattoo: fear and cowardice. When I was growing up, my parents — especially my dad — put the fear of God in me regarding tattoos and earrings (still don’t wear those, either). Even though my dad passed away in 2006, I still have a healthy respect for my upbringing and the values that he instilled in me. But, the second reason — and perhaps the more important of the two — why I refuse to get a tattoo is because I am a coward when it comes to pain. Let’s just say that my tolerance level for pain — particularly needles — is extremely low. So low, in fact, that I would never willingly submit my arm, leg, back, or any other part of my anatomy to a tattoo needle.

As the father of three boys, I personally would not want any of them to get tattoos (or wear earrings). Cue Seinfeld quote — “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Of course, like the original situation which gave rise to the quote, I would continue to love my three sons unconditionally, despite what I might view as unwise or even sinful life choices. As parents, we should always want what is best for our children. And, that’s why I appreciate President and Mrs. Obama.

No, you did not misread that last sentence. Although I have strong policy and political differences with the President, I have no doubt that he and the First Lady are good parents who serve as exemplary role models for their two daughters, Malia and Sasha. The two young ladies also happen to be roughly the same age as my two oldest boys. Jacob, my middle son, and Sasha, are less than a month apart in age. Even though I have all boys and the Obamas have all girls, I can certainly relate to the stage of life that we both find ourselves in as parents.

As Political Conservatives and Christian Conservatives (not always the same thing), we should applaud the First Couple for their own strong family values when it comes to raising their two daughters. Far too many opponents of President Obama — including Evangelical Christians who should know better — allow their own personal opposition to his policies (and sometimes outright hatred of the man) to cloud their judgment when it comes to President and Mrs. Obama’s role as parents. That’s why “news” stories from some conservative commentators concerning family vacations or trips taken by the girls often come across as petty and mean-spirited, even if that was not the intention. Life is not all about politics. When we fail to distinguish between the political and the personal, then we begin to see every area of life as a battle to be won by “our side.” This type of mentality — from the left or the right — is both sad and despicable.

Therefore, when I can find areas of agreement with President Obama — be they political, personal, or religious — I will gladly share those with my readers. And so, when I discovered that President Obama would not want either of his daughters to get a tattoo, I let out a hearty amen! When asked by The Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie about how he and his wife planned to keep Malia and Sasha from getting tattoos, President Obama responded:

What we’ve said to the girls is, ‘If you guys ever decided you’re going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo in the same place. And we’ll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo,” Obama said. “And our thinking is that might dissuade them from thinking that somehow that’s a good way to rebel.”

Just when I find it hard to like President Obama, he goes and says something that I can wholeheartedly agree with. Granted, I have never thought about using the “family tattoo” argument as a way to prevent my boys from ever getting their own tattoos, but my wife finds President Obama’s idea hilarious. The only problem that I would face in using the President’s brilliant idea is that my boys might call my bluff. Because, I would indeed be bluffing when it comes to getting my own tattoo (see reasons one and two above). As long as none of my boys read my blog — which is a virtual certainty — I think I just might be able to quote President Obama in a positive way should I need to at some point in the future. That may not seem like much, but if the President and I can agree on tattoos, it just goes to show that miracles still happen! And, for Pastors and Presidents, that’s not a bad thing.

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