School Nurse Calls Police After 10-Year-Old Asks Her For Moisturizer For His New Tattoo
It wasn't a temporary one you get at birthday parties.
A 10-year-old boy wound up in his school nurse’s office in Highland, New York — but not for a scraped knee or stomach bug.
The boy wanted moisturizer to soothe his new tattoo.
The school nurse was shocked when a student arrived in her office asking her for Vaseline to apply to his new tattoo — an ink of his own name in large block letters inside his forearm.
The boy was allegedly inspired by one of his teachers who had a tattoo in the same place.
Given that the minimum age to get a tattoo in the state of New York is 18, regardless of parental consent, the nurse had no choice but to immediately call the police.
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The 10-year-old's mom has been arrested over the tattoo she allegedly thought was temporary.
33-year-old Crystal Thomas, the boy’s mother, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child according to a Facebook post by the Town of Lloyd Police.
"She is accused of allowing her 10-year-old juvenile child to get a large permanent ink tattoo on his body. She was released on an appearance ticket and is due in the Town of Lloyd Court on October 20, 2022," the statement reads.
Surprisingly, some commenters under the post defended the mother.
"Since when does the state get to tell a parent what they can and cannot do with their child?" asked one Facebook user.
"It’s just a tattoo I can see if she was neglecting the kid. Y’all taking this way too far. So you arrest a mother who’s trying her best over a silly [little] tattoo?" another stated.
The 10-year-old boy and her other child were removed from her care by Child Protective Services.
Thomas was allegedly not in the room when her child got a tattoo.
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She claims that she was under the impression that her son was receiving a temporary tattoo.
Thomas explained that she believed her son asked for a temporary tattoo, which she agreed to.
At the time of the incident, Thomas and her two children were staying at a hotel in Highland when the boy went to an unlicensed artist in the room next door to receive his new ink.
The tattoo artist was also arrested.
20-year-old Austin Smith is the artist responsible for tattooing the child. He was charged with dealing unlawfully with a child and could potentially face up to a year in prison.
In what he now calls “the biggest mistake of [his] life,” Smith was ill-informed about the laws surrounding his profession.
"At the time, I thought if you got your parents' permission, you could get a tattoo,” he told the New York Times.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.