Mum gets reality check after giving daughter ultimatum for getting a tattoo

A 'disappointed' mother got a swift reality check when she questioned if she was being unreasonable for giving her adult daughter an ultimatum over her tattoo.

As tough as it might be, parents have to let their kids grow up and leave the nest eventually. Obviously you'll still worry for their health, safety and happiness, but since tattoos shouldn't really have any negative impact on those things, there's really no need for them to be top of the list of concerns.

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That didn't stop one mum from sharing her frustrations over her daughter's ink, though, so much so that she took to Reddit to question whether her opinion made her an 'a**hole'.

In the post the 58-year-old mum explained she is 'very anti-tattoo', and her daughter knows it.

"When she left to go to college, I told her that as long as I was paying for her school, she was not allowed to get a tattoo," the mum explained. "Since I was paying for her undergrad, she followed my rules."

After having respected her mum's wishes through uni, the daughter was finally free to get a tattoo when she took over payments and started a post-graduate degree.

She went for a tattoo of a butterfly on her shoulder, 'about the size of [a] fist', but her mum claimed it was 'ugly and gross'.

While getting her master's degree and juggling an internship, the daughter had to move back in with her mum, but the parent insisted that the tattoo couldn't be on show.

"I told her that when she is in the house she has to wear clothing that covers the tattoo because I don't want to see it," she wrote. "She says that's not fair because it is very hot where we live."

Knowing that her daughter wouldn't be able to find other living arrangements with the unpaid internship, the mum added: "I say it's my house so it's my rules."

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After the mum asked if she was being an 'a**hole' over the ultimatum, Reddit users didn't hold back.

"[You're the a**hole]," one person began bluntly.

They continued: "It may be your house, but its not your body. Also, she's finishing up her masters. Sounds like she's got a good head on her shoulders and is intelligent. Why not be positive about that, instead of being negative about her tattoos. Tbh, you're an adult, act like it."

Another critical Redditer wrote: "She's an adult and the fact that you are still trying this hard to control her is absurd. It is her body and her life. Be grateful for the time you get with her, because once she is able to stand on her own completely, she is going to remember how you treat her."

Other Reddit users encouraged the mum to consider whether she cared more about the tattoo or the 'love for [her] daughter', which will hopefully have given her something to think about!