The child has just become an adult in the eyes of our society. It's a rite of passage.
He or she can now go to war, vote and smoke.
Often the newly-turned 18-year-old wants to do something to commemorate this difference. They go buy a cigar at the local Smoker's Friendly or head down to the courthouse to sign up as a voter. They might even enlist in the military.
Another, more permanent, way to celebrate is to get a tattoo.
In Iowa tattooing is not allowed to be performed, even with parental permission, on minors. Therefore, those teens just coming of age, who may have wanted a tat' since they were 14, are eager to trade part of their skin for art.
Such was the case for Heather "Punky" Riley, of Mt. Pleasant, who turned 18 this past month.
"I wanted one at 16, but it didn't happen," she said.
Not a week after coming of age, Riley got her first tattoo. For her, it was easy, as she'd known she'd wanted this change for a long time. She even had the perfect tattoo idea picked out. She had her nickname, "Punky", etched in a deep maroon on her lower back in a new-age text.
"I've just wanted it - it's something I knew I wouldn't regret once I put it on," Riley said. "I'd say that I've put a lot of thought into it, because it [the name "Punky"] is something I've had with me since I was a baby."
Later on, after the lettering has healed up, Riley intends to get a background scene added around the lettering. She's not as sure of what she wants there, although she thinks that she'll get something brighter - perhaps a floral or tropical pattern.
Mark Bell, the tattoo artist working on Riley at Big Dog Tattoos in Mt. Pleasant, said that he thought Riley was smart to wait and see what she wanted for the background instead of hurrying it.
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