Life

Parents Get Tattoos To Match Daughter's Birthmark

Every now and then, you read stories about modern parents that make you just want to get up from wherever you're sitting and applaud, even if they are a bazillion miles away. While we recently celebrated a dad who gets his son's drawings tattooed to his arm, these parents headed to the tattoo parlor for their daughter, with an entirely different kind of ink in mind: Tanya and Adam Phillips now sport tattoos matching their daughter's distinctive birthmark which trails from her lower back to her toes.

When 18-month-old Honey-Rae was born, the birthmark was immediately noticeable, and has grown with her over time. The birthmark is not at all harmful, and was in fact the least of their worries when newborn Honey-Rae had to be put on an incubator to breathe. Once that hurdle was crossed, and Honey-Rae was on her way to becoming a healthy little kid, her mother Tanya Phillips explained that they worried about what kind of judgment she might face later in life. In a statement to The Mirror, Tanya explained:

"Although in our eyes she was perfect, I knew other people would cruelly point and stare at her. For the first few months of her life, whenever we went out, I made sure her legs were covered up. I couldn’t cope with stranger’s curious glances or whispering comments. I didn’t want sympathy or pity or people feeling sorry for Honey-Rae.

Adam and I decided straight away that we wanted Honey-Rae to feel special, that her birthmark was something to feel proud of and not embarrassed by. From the moment she was born, we told Honey-Rae she was beautiful and constantly covered her in kisses."

Recently both parents had been talking about getting tattoos to match their daughter's birthmark, and Tanya says that the deciding moment came when she overhead an elderly couple in a checkout line at the grocery store commenting on Honey-Rae's bare legs. Her father Adam had his matching tattoo inked this past Christmas, and Tanya had hers done this past week for her 40th birthday.

She says she knew it was the right decision to make when her daughter touched the tattoos and giggled, saying, "Match."

"Some people will says it odd and think what we’ve done is quite extreme, but in our eyes all we have done is ensure Honey-Rae never feels different. Mummy and Daddy now have the same permanent markings as she does."

It's official: These two are the most badass, perfect parents of all time. Here are the pictures of them with their newly inked tattoos, and one adorable little girl who is all smiles about it: