Lifestyle2 min(s) read
Published 10:50 10 Dec 2020 GMT
A mom has taken to social media to ask for advice after she opted to tattoo one of her twins in order to tell them apart for medical reasons.
However, despite making the decision following a recommendation from a doctor, the mom has revealed that her mother-in-law is furious over the - potentially life-saving - decision.
Sharing her story on Reddit, the 31-year-old unnamed mom shared her story to the 'Am I The A**hole' subreddit - in which users share a recent grievance from their lives and users debate on whether or not they were in the wrong.
She titled the post: "AITA [Am I the a**hole] for medically tattooing my child under the recommendation of a doctor?"
Recognizing that her the title of her post can sound jarring at first, the mom starts by writing, "Hear me out".
Then, after revealing that she and her husband had tried for five years to get pregnant, the mom explains that they required "medical help" in order to get pregnant.
Thankfully, this was successful, and she writes: "9 months later I have 2 beautiful fraternal twin boys" (to who she gives the fake names of 'Jack' and 'Adam').
The mom continues: "[The] thing is, Jack has a condition. Without going into detail, [he] requires a shot once a week". She added that this will have to continue under he is old enough to take the medication in pill form.
She then explains that after returning to work, her mother-in-law offered to watch the twins from when they were nine months old (they are now 16 months). During this period, the boy's gran would give Jack his injection.
However, as the mom explains, this "worked very well until a month ago when she gave the shot to the wrong kid".
She adds: "Now they may be fraternal but they look identical. I'll be honest my husband and I even mix them up sometimes. Everyone does.
"She immediately noticed her mistake, called 911, and they were transferred to hospital. By the time I got there, Adam had been given the reversal agent and they were both happily sipping on juice loving the attention.
"We went home the same night told to push fluids. He was never in danger. It's a very slow-acting medication that, at worst, would have given him diarrhea in a few days."
Despite this, the mom says that her mother-in-law was "beside herself".
"I tried to ease her worry but she refused to babysit so to daycare they went," she writes.
The mom then explains how a doctor recommended a medical tattoo - in order to tell the boys apart.
"They tattoo a freckle, no bigger than the end of a pencil eraser, on an area of skin that's easily seen," she writes. "Because of the area it usually fades in 2-3yrs, but by then they should have developed more personal features and may not need it redone.
"So after [a] discussion with my husband we did it."
Jack now has a two-millimeter freckle tattooed on his earlobe.
The mom explains: "From entering the office to leaving, it took 30 minutes," and states that Jack "never felt a thing".
However, the mom then states how the mother-in-law "lost her s**t" when they told her about the medical tattoo.
"I tried to explain but she just freaked out," she writes. "So I put both kids on the floor and told her to pick up Jack and find the tattoo.
"She picked up Adam, so I handed her Jack and after 20 minutes still couldn't find it. Stripped him to his skivvies.
"I finally pointed it out and she went 'That's just a freckle', I just said: 'My point exactly. Adam doesn't have a freckle there. So that's how daycare can tell them apart'".
Despite the potentially life-saving marking, the mom says that her mother-in-law is "still p***ed and ranting".
"Once I explain to others and they fail to find it they understand, but they still think I went too far in tattooing my child and altering their body," she writes.
"I believe I took the necessary precautions recommended by the doctor and the tattoo will fade with sun exposure and as he grows."
Asking if she had done the right thing, the mom's post blew up, and it has already received 29.3K upvotes in just five days - and many Redditors were firmly on the side of the mother.
"NTA [not the a**hole] at all, it’s literally a fake freckle. It’s not like you gave him a full sleeve of pin up girls and muscle cars. Also, it’s to make it harder to accidentally kill him or his brother. You made the right call," one person replied.
Another agreed, writing: "NTA. You took the recommendation from a medical professional and made the decision with your spouse for the safety of your child. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially for something so small."
And those who did disagree with the mom simply didn't agree with the choice of tatto, just as this comical Redditor:
So, what do you think of this mom's decision? Let us know in the comments section!
