Tattoos, Piercings, and Sex Changes - You'll Regret It When You're Old

"You'll regret it when you're old" is what our parents used to say when we talked about getting tattoos. I once wanted an earing in my (left!) ear. I told my parents, and they said I will wish I hadn't one day. I believed them, didn't get the piercing, and I now thank you mom and dad. Things look cool when you're young, but when you're older not so much.

Tattoos and piercings are so 1990s. In 2015, questioning your gender is all the rage. If you're a boy but feel like a girl or you're a girl but feel like a boy just accept it, and you'll be a hero for being truly you. Forget about paying for tattoos. OHIP will cover the cost for you to trade your unmentionables in for a plastic version of the private parts you'd prefer. Your friends will hail you as courageous, and if someone lovingly advises against it just drown them out by screaming "intolerant!"

When I was a kid the worst you could alter your body was with a tattoo or a piercing. My how things have changed. We all regret at least a few impulsive things from the younger years. Thankfully, back then none of the cool kids were going under the knife to mutilate their sex organs. And even with the lesser alteration of ink and earings, older more responsible folks were there to urge against it.

This is a reckless age. Not only is gender reassignment surgery readily available and promoted, but too many fail to acknowledge that "You'll regret it when you're old."