He's eighteen. He's an adult. There really isn't anything you can do about it, short of your husband kicking him out of the house for getting a tattoo. That would be a little extreme, IMO.

If he really wants it, he's GOING to get it.

I have five tattoos. All are personally important and meaningful to me. None of them are trendy or what happened to be popular or "in" at the time. I have my husband's name, my son's name, and three symbols that have become very important to me as I've found myself and my own spiritual beliefs. All of them can be covered up, as well.

But, persih the thought that I would have gotten one when I was eighteen instead of in my thirties. It would probably say, "I love Jon Bon Jovi" or some such rubbish.

This is what I would do: Try to explain to him, as I have to my teenagers, that what he likes when he's a teenager is not necesarily going to be what's most important to him when he's an adult. Ask him to wait, just so HE won't be unhappy with it later. Ask him if he will think on the particular design he wants for a year, six months, however much time you think you can reasonably buy from him. Tell him if he still wants it as badly after a year as he does now, go ahead.

I wouldn't make an issue of what you or your husband think about it, so much as what your son will think of it later. You don't want him going out and getting it just for the sake of rebellion.

One of my step-daughters has her tongue and eyebrow pierced ... behind our backs and without our permission. The other step-daughter has her lower lip and eyebrow pierced ... behind our backs and without our permission. Their dad said, "Over my dead body will you do that!" ... so they did it. My son wanted his ear and eyebrow pierced. I said, "Let's compromise. I'll let you get your ear pierced, and I'll pay for it and buy you some cool earrings. Then you wait on your eyebrow until you are eighteen, ok?" My husband thought I was crazy. But, my son did not go behind our backs to get his eyebrow pierced. Sometimes, a little compromise goes a long way.