Gay dad freaks out after son gets tattoo but is left emotional after discovering its true meaning

A gay father who freaked out after discovering his adopted son got a tattoo has revealed why he was left emotional after finding out its true meaning. 

Richard adopted his son, Jonathan, when the boy was just five years old in 2005. Back then Richard was in a long-term relationship with another man but the couple split up four years ago and now he is engaged to another man.

When Jonathan was young, he and Richard would celebrate his adoption date every year. However, as he got older, Jonathan no longer wanted to celebrate the date, leading Richard to worry he had forgotten the special day.

A few weeks ago a now-adult Jonathan, who is working in the US Navy, messaged Richard to let him now he was getting a tattoo. 

Speaking to LGBT parenting website Gays With Kids, Richard revealed his first response was “Don’t you dare” but Jonathan had already booked the appointment.

Richard, who says he isn’t anti-tattoos, claims he was worried over why his son wanted to get inked, saying: “How is it going to look when he is older? What is he going to choose? Will he regret it? Will they see it in a job interview?

“It’s the Jewish mother in me,” he joked. 

Richard was then left furious after his son sent him a message revealing he had had the tattoo done, alongside a photo of the new ink but soon changed his mind after discovering that Jonathan had tattooed the date of his adoption in Roman numerals under his chest.

Speaking about the experience, Richard said: “My fear was that he was going to get something ridiculous, something he would regret, [but] I could not be more proud of him.” 

Even sweeter, Jonathan shared a photo of his tattoo on social media alongside the caption: “So I just got my first tattoo!! This date is the day that my life changed. This is the day my dads adopted me. The greatest day in my life knowing that for the rest of my life I would finally have a loving family that loved me for me.”