My kids (now 30, 28, & 24) never showed any interest in so-called "body art," and Mom and I are glad of it. They each have their peculiarities, but none of them ever seemed to go overboard (in either direction) to "rebel" against their ex-hippie parents.

One fairly surprising exception: the older son and middle child, who was the only family member not living in New Orleans when Katrina hit, got a fleur-de-lis with the caption "NOLA" (for New Orleans, LA) tattooed on his shoulder shortly after the catastrophe.

He had gone about a week not knowing whether the rest of us were dead or alive, and in many ways took the expereince much harder than the rest of us, who were busy driving around the country trying to decide what to do while he was stuck in New York sitting still and worrying. He went to the tattoo parlor with several friends from back home, all with the same purpose in mind (i.e., same kind of tats, not necessarily identical but all New-Orleans-themed).

He does not regret it at all, but on the other hand does not seem to have any inclination to add any more tattoos.

So, I can see how a tattoo can sort of commemorate a particular life-changing event...