Loving Parents Get Tattoos Of Their Toddler’s Birthmarks So She Feels Special

When most people visit the tattoo parlour, they leave with a design that means something special to them – and in that sense, Tanya and Adam Phillips are no different.

The parents-of-four opted to get a set of unusual tats done, to mirror their daughter’s various birthmarks that cover one side of her body.

Honey-Rae, 18 months old, was born with the strawberry markings and as she’s grown, so have each of the marks.

“It is bright red and it covers almost half of the right side of her body,” Tanya told The Mirror. “It stretches from her toes to her lower back. It hasn’t faded with time. In fact some days it looks darker than others.”

To make her daughter feel special, Tanya heroically spent her 40th birthday getting Honey-Rae’s birthmarks copied onto her own body – and paid for her husband to do the same, too.

“Most people might think it’s very extreme but to us it was the natural thing o do to ensure our daughter never felt different or alone in the world,” says Tanya, from Grimsby.

Tanya admits that the first time she saw the extent of her daughter’s birthmarks, she broke down in tears. “I just sobbed and sobbed knowing my baby was going to be permanently market for the rest of her life,” she recalls.

“Like any mum, I didn’t want her to be different. I wanted her to be exactly the same as every other healthy child. And as much as the birthmark isn’t dangerous, I knew it could have a huge impact on the rest of her life.”

Admitting she couldn’t cope with “stranger’s curious glances or whispering comments” Tanya covered up Honey-Rae’s legs for the first few months of her life.

And sadly the first time the mum-of-four Tanya took her daughter out without covering her legs, she received the attention she was hoping to avoid. “People are cruel without even realising,” says Tanya. “And I knew if adults could be that insensitive, then kids at school would also be unintentionally mean.”

It was that one experience that pushed Tanya and Adam to get their matching tattoos done.

But while Tanya admits the tattoo was “incredibly painful”, Honey-Rae’s reaction was worth the pain.

“She now constantly touches mine and Adam’s tattoos then her own birthmark and giggles – I couldn’t be happier,” says Tanya.

“Some people will say its odd and think what we’ve done is quite extreme, but in our eyes all we have done is ensure Honey-Rae never feels different. Mummy and daddy now have the same permanent markings as she does.”

Birthmarks Are More Common Thank You Think
Over 80 per cent of babies are born with birthmarks, some of which last for ever and others that fade away as the child grows older.

There are two main types – vascular (usually red, pink or purple) and pigmented (brownish) – and they can appear anywhere on the body. No one really knows why they occur, but they don’t tend to be inherited.

Most don’t need treatment, either, and are completely harmless. But it’s always best checking with your GP if your baby’s birthmarks changes over time, or if you’re worried about it at all.

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