Mum takes newborn to tattoo parlour for relatable reason

“He’s your child and you do what you think is best for him.”

A tattoo parlour is likely the last place you’d expect to find a new parent cradling their baby. 

But for Morgan Presley, it's just another outing.

Her eight-week-old son, Pony, tags along for the ride.

Presley didn’t leave him with a sitter. Not because she couldn’t, but because she wouldn’t.  

Morgan Presley refuses to leave her baby with a babysitter for a relatable reason. Image: Supplied

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"Don't leave your baby with NOBODY”

During a recent video, shared with her five million followers, she casually explains:

"To the people that are going to say just get a babysitter… I don’t trust people."

It’s just a throwaway comment. But it lands deep.

Her internal dialogue might defend it.

Claims of “I just don’t want to burden anyone,” or “I don’t know them well enough,” but deeper down, it's fear, perfectionism, trauma, or control.

That hit home for a lot of parents. Myself included. The comment section echoed the sentiment:

“HEAVY on "I don't trust people." Don't leave your baby with NOBODY,” one commenter wrote. 

Another said: “he’s your child and you do what you think is best for him.”

“I too would rather drag my kids everywhere and have an experience with them rather than letting some strangers handle my baby,” a third agreed. 

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Fear or caution?

We’re all told it takes a village to raise a child.

What if we don’t want a village? What if we don't trust one? 

These days, the ‘village’ often lives online. A virtual place where questions get mocked, and unsolicited advice leaves new parents burnt out and second-guessing. 

I’ve seen countless posts where mums have come looking for advice only to be crucified. 

Then there are the real-world fears: What if the sitter doesn’t know safe sleep guidelines? What if they struggle with the car seat? What if they just don’t do it your way?

And beneath it all lurks the unspoken terror: what if something goes horribly wrong? The unimaginable territory that no parent wants to venture into. 

You might call it paranoia. But when your child is this small, this vulnerable. Is there such a thing as too much caution?

The circle of trust is miniscule in my household. Even then, I worry. That’s only natural for any mother.  

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The only person I’ve ever left my baby with is my mother and only because I know she’ll respect every instruction. She parents the way I do, instinctively. Because she parented me.

Packing the baby up, swaddle and all, for a trip for a piercing change proves just the lengths parents are willing to go to avoid leaning on a village. 

Because sometimes, that feels safer than leaning on anyone else.

And that’s okay.

If parents don’t want a village, they shouldn’t be forced into one. 

Sometimes, it’s not about how many hands are helping, it’s about knowing the few you can trust will hold your child the right way.

Originally published as Mum takes newborn to tattoo parlour for relatable reason