I’m a tattoo artist – I let my nine-year-old daughter practice on me

Practice makes perfect.

A tattoo artist from Canada said that she lets her nine-year-old daughter practice her skills on mom – and admitted that so far, it’s gone “surprisingly well.”

So far, Christine Fleming, 33, has allowed her daughter, Scarlett, to draw a heart on her leg, as well as a butterfly and a flower.

“I’m not too worried about it being perfect or anything,” Fleming explained to South West News Service.

“She’s really good at following instruction and I guide her through.”

Fleming revealed that she was first inspired to introduce her daughter to the world of tattooing after she saw other parents doing the same thing.

“I had seen some other parents letting their kids tattoo them,” she said. “I was like – ‘that might be fun.’”

The mom revealed that her daughter seemed “really interested” in learning, so she suggested that they practice on fake skin to test it out.

However, Scarlett didn’t like the fake skin, as it has a tough texture to get the hang of.

Fleming described it as “leathery” and “less forgiving.”

So, instead, the mom offered her own skin to her daughter, and now, Scarlett really seems to have developed a knack for tattooing.

Fleming said that the first design her daughter drew on her was a small heart on her leg, which she was pleasantly surprised by.

She then let her daughter try out a butterfly stencil that was a bit more challenging in December 2022.

“She’s really good at following instruction and I guide her through,” Fleming said.

The Canadian-based tattoo artist said that she picks out stencils that she thinks will be simple enough for Scarlett to draw.

“She’s really proud of herself,” Fleming said about her daughter. “She’s got a confidence boost.”

Last month, Fleming let her nine-year-old give her a cherry blossom flower – a design that Scarlett had stenciled and inked all by herself. It took the pre-teen about an hour to do on her mom.

However, although her mom is a tattoo artist, it doesn’t mean that Scarlett will want to do the same.

Fleming explained that she doesn’t want to push her daughter into the profession – but she admitted that it would be “cool” if she decided to do so one day.

“I’m not going to pressure her to keep doing it,” she said.

“But it’s a different skill she’ll have.”

Even though Scarlett can keep practicing her drawings on her mom, Fleming is keeping firm on her rule that her daughter can’t get any of her own ink until she turns 18.

“They’re awesome,” Fleming maintained about her daughter’s work.