Man’s tattoos draw fire from disapproving wife

DEAR ABBY: My tattoos are destroying my marriage, and I just don’t understand why. I’m a 56-year-old elementary art teacher and the father of three grown children. Since I was young, I have loved the artistic expression of tattoos, and I ALWAYS envisioned having them, lots of them.

It had been about 10 years since my last one, but I decided to get another one. Telling my wife about wanting another one was awful. My wife of 28 years hates tattoos. We have terrible arguments every time I get one. I have covered my entire upper body. (Other than my hands, none of them are visible while I’m wearing my work clothes.) I love them.

I just returned home with roses tattooed on my hands, and my wife is ready to leave me. She says I have gone too far with all my ink. I’m a responsible and respectful person. I don’t drink, smoke, gamble or have any destructive vices. I’m highly regarded as a leader and role model at my school.

by Bigar

(March 21-April 19): Creative cooking is on the agenda. Exchange recipes with friends. Ask elders in your family for dishes that warmed your heart growing up. Start saving for an item that has special meaning but others might think is unnecessary. Tonight: Decorate the walls.

(April 20-May 20): Excitement about a future activity starts to gain steam. Visualize what you want to achieve, and it will begin to unfold. Don’t let someone’s doubts or negativity spoil your day. Keep looking at the glass as half full. Tonight: A learning experience.

(May 21-June 20): Feeling under the weather could give you a late start. Pace yourself, and if you must, postpone a meeting to a later date. You will gather momentum as the day goes on. Tonight: Get hooked on a detective novel.

(June 21-July 22): A friend from the past surprises you with an email. Think twice before reviving a connection with someone whose life is different from your own. Prepare a group presentation. Control your nerves, and you will do fine. Tonight: A lively family discussion.

(July 23-Aug. 22): Get closure on a longstanding assignment. Devise a plan of action and follow it through. Time your activities so you can take a power walk or run during a break or at the day’s end. Tonight: Start a creative project.

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Explore your talent for teaching. Share your expertise or train someone in a skill you’ve mastered from experience. Cultivate patience with those who learn slowly. Research reference material in the local library or on its website. Tonight: Hot bubble bath.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Talk to someone close about your deepest feelings and emotions. Be earnest about insecurities, but equally honest about your generosity and loyalty. Create boundaries with people who take more than they give. Tonight: Relax in front of the TV.

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Check your calendar. Mark down important birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones you do not want to miss. Review papers you need to sign and check the fine print. There could be words you missed the first time around. Tonight: Donate books.

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Don’t take constructive criticism personally since it is not aimed that way.

Cheer up someone who is down in the dumps. You have a way of making others laugh and the ability to switch their

Friends, colleagues – even strangers – compliment me on my tattoos. However, you would think my tattoos and I are the devil in my wife’s eyes. Am I the problem, or is her perception of tattoos the issue? Please, any advice would be greatly accepted. I can’t understand her stance on this. – ART IN LAS VEGAS

DEAR ART: It is your body, and you have the right to do what you want with it. While not everyone is a fan of body art, I assume that you had tattoos before you and your wife married. It is possible that over the years, when you told your wife you were getting more, knowing her feelings about it, it came across to her as disrespectful of her feelings. As you have acquired more and more, it may have felt to her like one insult piled on another.

Having never spoken with your wife, I can’t guess her reason for talking about leaving you, but it’s important you ask why those roses were the last straw. (Am I correct in assuming there’s no place else on your “canvas” that hasn’t been illustrated?)

Astrology

mood around. Tonight: Romantic plans.

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Thinking about a romantic interest makes you grin and will brighten an otherwise routine day. Follow where flashes of inspiration may lead. Write them down so you don’t forget and can act on them later. Tonight: Listen to a podcast.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Collect family anecdotes and stories to pass on to children and grandchildren. Contact a relative to verify different versions of the same events. Memory can play tricks on you when you recall the past. Arrange a visit. Tonight: Beautify your home.

(Feb. 19-March 20): You could be goaded into a conversation on hotbed subjects. Do all you can to avoid politics and religion. You hold strong opinions and could be coaxed into a debate. Change the topic as quickly as you can. Tonight: Family dinner.