Seeing his son struggle, a dad spends 30 hours getting tattooed to make him less insecure about his birthmark.
Different people, different things that make each of them stand out. But for kids, standing out and being different can be challenging and stressful.
Choosing to have a tattoo
At most, kids who are deemed different are often being bullied. As parents, you can urge your kids to embrace such differences and appreciate who they are.
Although sometimes, certain cases demand more than merely talking it out with your kids.
For Derek Prue Sr., such a case happened to him when he went under a 30 hours tattoo process to show his son that he is not alone in embracing something that makes him different from others.
The son's struggles
Derek's son, eight years old, was born with a large birthmark on his torso, one that often makes him feel insecure. Because of his birthmark, he refuses to remove his shirt when their family goes out swimming.
He was not very vocal about what he is feeling about his birthmark, but he did his best to hide it from others.
As a dad, it was hard for Derek to see his son struggle with his birthmark. So, without telling him, this dad took a huge project to make sure that his son would never feel alone again.
The process of having the tattoo
Tony Gibbert, the Juicy Quill tattoo studio owner, helped the dad go under a 30 hours tattoo process to replicate his son's birthmark.
At first, neither Derek nor Tony knew how long the project would take. In total, Derek went under a 30 hours tattoo, completing the matching birthmark to his son. A 30 hours tattoo process of holding still, constant pain or extreme discomfort, all to support his son in the best way that he knows how.
Revealing the tattoo
During their pool outing with their family, Derek revealed his new ink, the 30 hours of tattoo process that he did to support his son. His son, both shocked and delighted by seeing the very same thing that caused his distress, was on his biggest cheerleader, his dad.
Tony Gibbert, the tattoo artist, said that it was amazing to be able to comfort one's son like that. He said that it is more than just a kid seeing their dad's name or something; they could change how a kid feels about themselves.
Flaunting the tattoo
After his 30 hours tattoo process, Derek could not be any happier with the results. He and his son will match forever, looking like two members of an exclusive club with one extreme of an orientation process.
As for taking his shirt off during their pool outing, Derek's eight years old son feels ready to jump in without extra layers. However, the 8-year-old kid said he can only take his shirt off when his dad is there.
Right now, such progress is enough for Derek. After all, it is a step away from finally helping his son overcome his insecurity and finally feel good about himself.
