Boomer Dad Cuts His Son Off Financially After He Decided To Get Tattoos On His Biceps — 'I Don't Have Freaks In My Family'
Is an opposition to tattoos really worth cutting off your own family?
Dmytro Zinkevych / Shutterstock Anyone with baby boomer parents can agree that a large portion of the generation tends to express excessive judgment of the choices and lifestyles of younger generations, be it the way they dress, the music they listen to, or their unconventional self-expression.
However, it’s unusual and unfair for so many boomers to be overly critical of the individuality of others when they experienced their own transformative younger years.
After one boomer man’s son did everything his dad asked of him to earn his financial support in college, the man instantly cut him off over the sight of his son’s fresh tattoos.
The son took to Reddit to vent about how his ‘out of touch’ boomer dad cut him off financially for getting tattoos.
In the r/boomersbeingfools forum, the man delved into his distressing but inspiring experience after his dad disowned him for getting tattoos in his honor.
“Dad is as boomer as they come,” the man began his post. “Totally out of touch, fallen down the misinformation rabbit hole head over heels, and now subscribes to every conspiracy theory and fake news story he hears as long as it’s on AM radio or from one of ‘the good’ news channels.”
“Sadly, my siblings and I have watched him degrade in real time over the last several decades, but when we were kids, he was nowhere near as bad,” he added.
The man offered some context, explaining that his dad was always “openly agnostic” but now calls himself an “avowed Christian.” He said his dad used to be “socially liberal and fiscally conservative” but has now gone “full-blown MAGA.”
His dad always used to lament getting a barbed wire design tattooed on his biceps but never got around to it.
When the man expressed his interest in getting tattoos to his dad in high school, his dad firmly said he couldn’t while he was “under his roof” but was free to make his own decisions once he moved out.
The son waited until he moved out to get tattoos in honor of his dad, but his reaction was not what he expected.
When the young man was in high school, he and his dad made an agreement. If he maintained good grades and worked a job after school hours and during the summertime, his dad would pay for his college tuition and textbooks. This inspired him, and he was determined to accomplish his dad’s requests. He went above and beyond what his dad asked for.
“I worked at least 30-hour weeks, every week from when I was 14 (started at a family friend's horse barn working under the table) up to … 18,” he explained. “I also kept good grades and graduated with a 4.0 AND fifteen credit hours of college credit thanks to my AP classes.”
The man got into his local college and planned to move into the dorms, but his dad insisted he move into an off-campus apartment to get the “full college experience.” His dad additionally offered to pay his rent, as long as he covered his own utility bills and food costs since he’d be getting a job and working throughout college anyway.
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He trusted in his dad’s support and went through with his suggestions. He moved into the apartment, grateful for his dad’s willingness to support him.
Seeing as he was no longer living under his dad's roof, halfway through his freshman year, he decided to get tattoos on each bicep, inspired by his dad’s tattoo concept he never followed through with.
“I went back to his house one evening for dinner and to say hi to my younger siblings, and I was excited to show them my arms,” the man wrote. He went full-blown nuclear. Screaming, top of his lungs, three inches from my face, spittle flying, going totally … ballistic. I told him I had no idea he’d react this way, and his response was to excommunicate me from my family.”
Since the boomer dad was paying for his apartment, he claimed his son was still technically 'under his roof.'
His dad was enraged by his son’s choice to tattoo his body, something people from all walks of life do every day, and made the irrational decision to cut him off financially and disown him from his family entirely.
The dad’s explanation for being so angry was that he’d changed his mind about tattoos, claiming only “trash and druggies” get them.
“The quote that has stuck with me the longest was, ‘Don’t come to Christmas, don’t come to Thanksgiving, I don’t want you in my home, I don’t want you in my family, I don’t have FREAKS in my family,’” the man wrote.
The son, who was in shock, didn't know how to respond to his dad's theatrical verbal attack and remained "stone-faced," which only fueled his dad's rage.
"The three-hour one-sided screaming fest ended with him saying, 'Good luck paying for school and that nice new apartment. Like I said, I don’t have freaks in my family, and I won’t be bankrolling a freak either,'” the man added.
After the son went back to his apartment, he acted quickly, selling most of his belongings on eBay and in pawn shops to ensure he had rent money. His dad refused to say his son wasn't a dependent on his FAFSA application. Since his salary was so high, the son didn't qualify for federal aid, so he resorted to the bank and applied for "predatory" student loans.
"He thought I’d drop out and fail," the man ended his post. "Instead I stayed in school and got a great degree and worked full-time throughout to survive. We didn’t talk for years after his explosion and it STILL comes up in my therapy sessions."
The man’s heartbreaking experience is a prime example of how far some boomers take their exaggerated beliefs and views.
Reddit users offered support to the man and related to his experience with their own disapproving parents following their independent choices.
"Just remember that one day, he’ll come to you because he’s old and needs somewhere to live/someone to care for him. 'I can’t, dad,'" someone suggested he tell his dad. "'This freak is unavailable to help you.'”
"Oh, I already told my siblings (who, it is worth noting, both had their entire college educations paid for and multiple vehicles purchased for them, didn’t work in school) that I will burn ... before I pay a dime for him to go to a care home when that happens," the man replied in the comments. "I’ll tell him to go take out a loan and pay for it that way."
Understandably, the man still seems to harbor resentment for his dad's unwavering decision to disown him, despite how hard he worked to earn his support, all because of a tattoo.
Despite the setbacks and obstacles the man had to endure and overcome because of his dad's callousness, he persevered and still built up his success on his own. And whether he admits it or not, his dad will grow to regret his cruel decision to cut his son off.
Regardless of an individual’s opinions surrounding tattoos, it does not validate their decision to disown their child. Tattoos are a form of self-expression at the end of the day, and it’s unreasonable to cut your child off over such a matter.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.